Tikal
by nenya62189
Summary: No one has heard from Deryn Sharp in two years. Mrs. Sharp is dying, and her final wish is for Alek to bring Deryn home. Alek agrees, doing it for Ma, but scared of the feelings he hid away long ago coming unearthed. Following a clue that leads him to exotic Guatemala, Alek must find the cryptic society Deryn has been rumored to be working for. Has she gotten in over her head?
1. A Request

**A bit of background:**

**This idea was inspired by the song Tikal by ES Posthumus (I do not own). If you want to get a good feel of how I felt when writing this, try listening to it a few times while reading the summary. Tikal is an ancient Mayan city in modern-day Guatemala that was one of the greatest cities in the Mayan civilization. It's in the middle of a jungle, known for jaguars and quetzal birds, which are real! They were really popular in Aztec culture for their gorgeous feathers, but I think they are absolutely beautiful and wanted to put them into the story. Also, I'd just like to warn you that I'm going to try my hardest not to mix the Mayan/Aztec/Toltec/Incan cultures, but I can't promise anything! They were all definitely different, but also had many similarities, so I may end up blending together some aspects of it.**

**The expression, "Ack, no!" is one I picked up from a Scottish television show, _Monarch of the Glen_, which I do not own. The sassy, spunky young lady on it always used to use it whenever she didn't believe or agree with something. It seemed like something Deryn and her family might say, so I put it in. If you can't imagine what it sounds like, this is a gross explanation: it's like you're clearing a big blob of …yuckiness from your throat. Sort of. **

**I can't guarantee my Gaelic is correct; I couldn't find an online translator so I had to use a dictionary. I apologize if it isn't right!**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld! (I own nothing.)**

**And lastly, thank you to Winterowl312, Daft Prince, EllieStone, and WordNerb93 for the kind words of encouragement on my last story! It really brightened my day! If anyone has any constructive criticism or tips, I am new so I am open to ideas and thoughts! I plan on making this a two-parter, maybe even a trilogy, but I want to know what everyone thinks! **

**Extended Summary: First half of an adventure that follows takes our favorite characters from cold Scotland to mysterious and exotic Guatemala and to the deep, dark heart of Africa. Mrs. Sharp is sick and possibly dying, and her last request is for Alek to find Deryn and bring her home. Alek hesitates at first, scared of the feelings he hid away long ago coming unearthed. But he decides to, realizing that he owed it to the woman; her own daughter saved his life more than once. Rumors state that Deryn has been working for a cryptic society that Jaspert and Dr. Barlow know only little about. Has Deryn gotten in over her head, and will Alek find her in time?**

**Thankyouthankyouthankyou for reading! :)**

Tikal

Chapter One: A Request

_"Deryn! Please, just tell me what it is! Do you want to postpone the wedding for a bit? Because I am more than willing to-"_

_"No! Alek, I don't WANT a wedding AT ALL," she had said, trying to mask the shakiness in her voice, but to no avail. Something wasn't right._

_Alek remembered the hot sting of the tears in his eyes. "But why? Is studying more important than our life together? You've already become a doctor; what else do you want?"_

_Deryn hesitated. Alek could see her clenching her jaw to try to bite back the tears, but it wasn't working. "No, it's not that, it's just-"_

_"Am I not good enough for you?"_

_"Alek, of course you are- I mean- Ack. We can't be together!" Her voice had betrayed her tough façade greatly in the last sentence._

_He felt every bone in his body break. Every tear burned his flesh. He felt nothing but pain. "I love you," he said, not even trying to hide his trembling, shaky voice. "I was willing to give up my empire for you," he said sharply. He hated being like this._

_She hadn't expected him to say those things. Did she really think she could just slither out of this without upsetting him?_

_But she stood her ground. "I'm sorry."_

_Tears poured out of Alek's emerald eyes; he could do nothing but drop to his knees she turned and walked away._

He was awoken by a large bump the carriage went over. "Es tut mir leid!" called a loud apologetic voice from the front. It belonged to none other than Mr. Otto Klopp. He and the Count and Bauer and Hoffman had stayed in his service long after their adventures aboard _Leviathan. _Surprisingly, Klopp had taken a great liking to travelling, so he had asked Alek if he could accompany him as his driver whenever he went abroad. Klopp had also grown fond of beasties, both fabricated and natural, so learning to work with them hadn't been a problem. And Bovril loved him, so it worked out very well.

"Es ist okay!" Alek called back.

Alek was tired. He'd been traveling almost all day to get the small Glasgow village. He'd come to Scotland for the sole purpose of responding to a letter he received from one Jaspert Sharp. It was very vague, but said that both Jaspert and his mother wished to see the Austrian Emperor immediately; it was a very important matter. He had kept in touch with Ma and Jaspert, despite Deryn's wishes. As long as they were sneaky about it, no one would know. No one had heard from Deryn in almost two years anyways, so he doubted she would even find out.

"Mr. Sharp," said Bovril, whose voice came from the seat beside Alek, as it stood up and peeked out the carriage window.

Alek looked down at it. "Yes, but not the one you are hoping for," he said.

They had just arrived at the Sharps' house, and Jaspert, who must have seen the carriage coming, stood in the doorway to greet Alek. He had the same light, blonde hair as Deryn, and almost the same eyes, too.

The carriage came to a stop, and Alek took Bovril and placed him in a large bird cage. "You stay here," he instructed the loris. "If you behave well, I will make sure to have a treat for you."

"Treat," the loris said excitedly.

"Yes," Alek replied. "Now be good for Mr. Klopp. I'll be back."

Alek placed a think cotton sheet over the cage and went to unlatch the door-

"Alek," said the handsome, tall blonde man as he opened the carriage door. "It's so good to see you. It's been so long." He smiled. "Thank you for coming."

"Indeed it has," answered Alek, smiling and shaking Jaspert's hand as he stepped out of the carriage. The house looked exactly the same way when he had seen it for the first time five years ago, long before they were engaged. It was when Deryn brought him home to meet her family. "It was the least I could do. And besides, it's always nice to get away for a little while. I like Scotland quite a lot."

"Aye, we do, too. Thanks again so much for coming; it's really going to mean a lot to Ma."

"Yes, I'm glad to. Where is your mother, if I may ask? She was the reason you asked me to come." Alek inquired. The two of them stepped into the small kitchen.

Jaspert's face fell. "That's just it," he began. "Would you like some tea? It may be easier to explain everything if you're sitting down."

Alek was a little taken aback by all the mysteriousness. Just a week ago, he had received a letter from Jaspert asking Alek to come to their house in Glasgow, per his mother's request. It had all been in a very cryptic manner, but Alek was glad to see Deryn's family, since he hadn't seen them in so long.

Jaspert motioned for him to sit down. Alek did so, and noticed the lovely little tray of tea sweets that had been set out earlier. One of which was shortbread, most likely Mrs. Shape's recipe, Alek's favorite. He slyly put a piece in his pocket, for Bovril.

Jaspert sat down and handed him a mug. "So, Alek, the reason I wrote you was because Ma asked me to."

Alek nodded. "Yes, you said that in your letter."

"Oh, right. Well, there's no other way to put it, so I'll just say it." He took a sip from his tea and looked down at the table. "She's dying."

Alek wasn't expecting that. After a moment of silence, he softly asked, "...How long does she have?"

"Doc says a month, two if the medicine works," he said as he took another sip of tea. Alek studied his expressionless face for a moment. Jaspert had changed since Alek had first met him, and greatly at that. Five years ago, just after Alek and Deryn started working for the Zoological Society and had come out to everyone as a couple, Jaspert had enjoyed tormenting and teasing Alek in every possible way, simply because he was courting his little sister. Alek had seen it as disapproval and had worried about it constantly; Deryn always insisted it was the opposite. "That's just the way he is!" she would say whenever they discussed the matter. "He only does it because he likes you!" Eventually, Deryn was proved to be correct, to Alek's pleasant surprise. He and Jaspert began to have real conversations together, Jaspert even taught him to play a little on the guitar. And since Ma had become ill only two years ago, he had become the man of the house, a responsibility he didn't take lightly. It was strange now to see Jaspert like that, responsible. Alek could see the how the stress had taken its toll on him.

"I'm so sorry, Jaspert. Is there anything I can do?" Alek asked. Since Ma had only had one son, she had taken a great liking to Alek. She enjoyed all of the "proper customs" Alek practiced, especially the compliments he gave her regarding her cooking. "A true gentleman he is!" Ma had exclaimed the day he had first come to the house and Alek couldn't stop raving about her shortbread. She even insisted her refer to her as "Ma" from now on, seeing as he was to become part of the family.. _Was_.

Jaspert nodded. "Aye, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. See, she's sort of got a 'last request' she wants to ask you."

Alek nodded fervently. "Anything."

Jaspert held his breath for a moment, and then spat it out. "She wants you to find Deryn."

Alek froze. Deryn. He hadn't spoken to her in two years. As far as he knew, she wanted nothing to do with him. Why did Ma want him to find her?

"Alek, I know that what happened wasn't right, I'm ashamed of my sister for that, but please just talk to Ma. She still considers you like her own and ever since Deryn disappeared, she hasn't been well. This would bring her so much peace." Jaspert said almost tearfully.

Alek nodded. "All right, I'll talk to her. May I see her?"

"Aye," Jaspert said. "Her room is this way," he said as he got up from the table.

The two stepped up the stairs softly, bring a wave of nostalgia over Alek. The stairs he had trudged up so many times with Deryn while trying to sneak about. Ma's room was the first on the left, right next to Deryn's.

Jaspert knocked softly. "Ma, can we come in?"

"Aye," said a weak voice from behind the door. "It's open."

Jaspert pushed open the door to reveal Ma Sharp, who was understandably not looking her best. Her face had thinned significantly, her hair turned a paler yellow than it had been before, and she had a constant look of being tired on her face. Alek had loved his own mother dearly, but since he had lost her, Ma had helped to fill the void that his mother left. It pained him to see her like this. Deryn had certainly taken a toll on the Sharp family.

She smiled. "Aleksandar!"

He moved swiftly, knelt by her side, and took her outstretched hand. "Ma," he said with a small, sad smile.

"I see you got my letter," she said as she pecked him softly on the cheek, in an especially motherly way. "You'll have to forgive my appearance."

"Yes, I got it," he said. "And I'm so sorry to see you aren't feeling well."

She waved her hand. "Ack, no. I've been worse," she said with a wink. "Jaspert, would you fetch me some tea?"

"Aye, Ma. I'll be back in a moment," he said as he went through the door.

Her wise blue eyes looked sad. Alek cleared his throat and said, "I understand you have a request for me."

"Oh! Yes. Aleksandar, up until a few days ago, I had no hope of seeing my daughter ever again. Or you, for that matter. But then Jaspert received a strange letter in the mail-"

"A letter? From Deryn?" Alek interrupted.

"Yes, Well, we think so, at least," said Jaspert as he returned with the tea tray.

"Don't interrupt," she continued. "Jaspert, would you please fetch the envelope from my desk?"

Jaspert obeyed, and brought it over to her. She removed the paper inside. "It's a drawing, and we think it's one of Deryn's."

Alek gently took the paper from Ma's hand and studied it. It was a beautiful, full-color drawing of some sort of bird he had never seen before. It was a great, green bird with a dark orange breast and long, emerald and white plumes jutting out from its bottom. The bird was sitting on a branch in what looked like a thick forest or jungle. The faint pencil marks around it showed that it was probably an observation, that the artist was sitting close by when it was sketched.

"As you can see," Ma continued as she turned and removed a folded piece of paper from her nightstand drawer, "There are several similarities between the two of these." She handed him the folded piece of paper and when he unfolded it, he saw the words "To: Ma Love: Deryn" written across the top. "She made that for me right before she left for the Service," Ma explained. It was a picture of a small barn owl, perched on the windowsill of the Sharps' barn. _Deryn must have sketched this from her bedroom window, _Alek thought to himself.

"This looks like something she did, all right," Alek noted as he continued to study the owl and then the green bird. They were both beautifully drawn.

"Yes, Jaspert and I both agree. However, if you look back at the picture of the green bird, you may notice something a bit strange." She handed the picture to him. In the plumes there appear to be words. Tell me what you see."

Alek held the picture close and then at arms' length from his eyes. The more he looked, the more he could see that there was definitely something there.

"D...Um. Spi...Ro...Spero? D Um Spi Ro Spero?" he asked. Whatever could that mean? Was it a secret message Deryn was trying to tell Jaspert?

"Actually, Dum Sprio Spero," Ma corrected."You're familiar with your Latin still, I trust?"

Alek nodded. He thought for a moment, then said, "While I have breath I hope."

Ma turned to him. "That's the Sharp family motto."

Alek had to restrain himself from letting out a gasp. It had to be from Deryn.

"It's from her," Alek said. "It has to be."


	2. A Request II

"I do believe you're right, Alek," said Ma. "We checked the envelope for a return address or any sort of clue as to its origin, but could find nothing."

Alek's heart sank.

"However, we do know several other helpful things. Years before Deryn was born, Artemis had been fascinated with birds. The quetzal was one he was especially interested."

"Is that what this is? I've never seen anything like it before," said Alek, looking down at the picture of the green bird again.

"Yes, it is. It lives it Central America, in an exotic place called Guatemala. Artemis never saw one in person, at least not to my knowledge; he'd only read about them in books. And I know for a fact one of those books is in Deryn's room, and it was one of her favorites. She always used to tell Artemis she wanted one as a pet," she said with a smile.

Jaspert said, "The quetzal has been seen in a place called Tikal in Guatemala. It's an ancient city, supposed to hold dark secrets about the Mayans, with plenty of wild and exotic beasties to study."

Alek looked up at him in surprise, and Ma smiled at him proudly.

He looked right back at them with a grin. "What? I went to the library."

Wild and exotic beasites had been part of the reason Deryn had abandoned everything she called home. She said she "needed to get out into the wild and find all the unknown creatures there were waiting for her." Alek hadn't believed a word of it then, and didn't believe a word of it now. He had wanted to, but she had too obviously been hiding something from him...

"Aye, Jaspert's got a sweetheart there," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. One that reminded Alek painfully of Deryn.

Jaspert feigned embarrassment. "Ma! We're only getting to know each other better."

"Aye, I'm sure you are," she smiled. "Anyways, Aleksandar, do you think you can do it?"

Alek sighed and paused. Here were two of the most important people in his life asking him to find the one person that meant more to him than anything, the one that had thrown everything they had away for reasons unbeknownst to everyone. _Still, though,_ he thought as he looked at each other their faces. _Their daughter and sister saved my life several times. And these people have always been there for me. _And maybe he could finally get to the bottom of the whole thing. He did have a secret hope that he and Deryn would one day be together again, a hope he had hidden away from everyone and only allowed himself to think of on very few occasions, but even if that hope would never be fulfilled, he needed closure. Yes, the closure would definitely be good. Before he could change his mind, he answered, "Yes. I can't promise anything, but I will try my best."

Relief washed over Ma and Jaspert's faces. Tears welled up in her eyes as Jaspert clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Thank you, from both of us."

Alek nodded at the both of them. This was so much to take in. He had to be back to Austria in the morning, and he didn't want to keep Klopp waiting. "If you'll excuse me, I really should be going now. Thank you both for visiting with me, and I hope to see you again soon."

Jaspert hopped up, "Oh, I'll see you out."

As they made their way out of the room, Ma held onto Alek's hand and said, "Alek, please bring her home."

He nodded and squeezed her hand, "I'll try, Ma. I promise." He kissed her cheek and smiled. "Please try to feel better."

She winked again. "I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best."

Jaspert and Alek made their way back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jaspert grabbed a bundle of papers from the table. "Alek, this is everything we know about Tikal. We think that Deryn may have joined a secret society of boffins that have been studying the quetzal down there." He pulled a few loose papers from the top. It looked like he had quite a bit of information there.

"Where did you get all this?" Alek asked inquisitively.

Jaspert shook his head. "Here and there. Remember your old friend Dr. Barlow? We wrote to her as well as you, and she sent us most of this. The other bits came from the library. The lady boffin thinks it might be a society that calls themselves _Dextera Domini-"_

"The Right Hand of God," Alek said quietly. He had heard the phrase before, but never of this society.

"Right," Jaspert continued. "As much as the boffin looks like she may be right, and we do want you to find Deryn, we hope she isn't with them."

A puzzled look came over Alek's face. "Why is that?"

"Because they're said to do evil, dark sorts of fabrications. Unspeakable things not even Dr. Barlow was sure about. As much as we don't want Deryn to be mixed up in that sort of crowd, I have a feeling she is."

Alek thought for a moment. It would make some sense: Deryn saying she wanted to leave because she wanted to study wild beasties and such. And the all the vague answers she had given him the night she left, and the cryptic manner of the letter. But the reason as to _why_ was still unknown.

Jaspert went door and opened. "Thanks again," Jaspert said. "Alek, even if you and Deryn don't work out..." Alek swallowed. He hated thinking of that, but it was more than likely true, whether or not he wanted to believe it. Jaspert continued, "I know what happened with Deryn, and I know you were hurt, but it really, really means a lot to Ma and me that you stayed in contact with us, even after Deryn told you not to. Especially Ma, she considers you her own son."

Alek nodded. "And she is like a second mother to me, and you like the brother I never had," he said with a smile. "Thank you. I promise I will try my very hardest to find your sister."

The two shook hands as Alek went out the door and into the carriage that had been waiting for him. He released Bovril from his cage and fed him the promised piece of shortbread, to the creature's immense delight. As they rode away, he looked out the window.

_Oh, Deryn_, he said thought to himself. _What have you gotten yourself into?_


	3. Tagann tú mé

**Hello, everyone! Thank you each SO much for your reviews! Some of them I was unable to respond to, so I will do so here:**

**Jett: I love Alek and the guys, too. :) I couldn't bear to break them up. Thanks for the kind words!**

**C: Thank you! Your review was awesome, and I'm so excited you're excited! Thank you for the information about the quetzal, I did not know that and it helped me fill a hole in the storyline! I'm learning so much about Central America. Guatemala is an awesome place!**

**Estefania: Thank you for the encouragement! You are kind!**

**And thanks to everyone else whom I've responded to, Barking Lizards and Ellie Stone! Each one of your reviews means so much to me, thank you for taking the time to do so!**

**As always, all original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld. I own nothing.**

**The Gaelic near the end is more than likely incorrect; I apologize!**

**Without further ado, here we go. :)**

Alek and Klopp and Bovril made it back to Austria in the wee small hours of the next morning. When they arrived at the palace, Alek thanked Klopp and bid him goodnight, then contemplated sleep himself. _As if I'd get any anyways_, he thought. Too much had happened! He headed to his study to try to catch up on some of the work he surely missed yesterday. He placed the already-snoring Bovril in its loris-sized bed at the foot of his desk and turned his attention to the fat stack of papers Volger had left for him. He could hardly concentrate on any of; his mind was too busy thinking about all the things Jaspert had told him. It was going to be a long night.

_It had been Jaspert who found him. When Alek didn't turn up the night before, they assumed he was out with Deryn. But when he didn't turn up now, the morning of his own wedding with only hours to go, Volger and Jaspert went out to look for him. They had been walking on the hill above the glen at the back of the house when Jaspert spotted a dark, crumpled figure on the ground._

_"Blisters, Alek!" Jaspert said as he ran over to him. "Sleeping outside? I know you love it out here, but you're going to be late for your own barking wedding! He's over here, Count!" he hollered to Volger, who was already on his way over with a concerned look on his face. _

_"Alek! Aleksandar!" Volger tried to shake him awake, and Alek opened his red, bloodshot eyes slowly in response. He shivered from the morning chill._

_"Barking spiders!" exclaimed Jaspert as knelt and put a hand to Alek's forehead. "He's been out in the cold for too long."_

_"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," the Count couldn't resist saying. "If you run back to the house and get a hot bath going, I'll bring the boy down. Quickly now!"_

_"Aye," Jaspert agreed. "And I'll tell Deryn, too!" he called as he ran off._

_Seeing as how the boy either was too weak or refused to walk, Volger lifted him in his arms. _

_"Don't bother," Alek said, barely above a whisper._

_Volger looked down at him and stopped, "Aleksandar! What did you say?"_

_"She's gone," he said as he closed his eyes. He could hear the Count calling his name as he slowly faded out._

_Aleksandar woke up as he was placed in the steaming hot bathtub. His eyes were swollen and painful, his throat was so sore it hurt to swallow, and he had a pounding headache the size of Great Britain. Everything hurt. Jaspert, Volger, and Ma were all around him, all very somber expressions on their faces._

_Volger put a warm washcloth over Alek's forehead. "Prince Aleksandar, it appears that you stayed out all night in the cold, and you are now very ill. Also-"_

_Ma interrupted him. "Alek, we can't find Deryn," worry deep in her voice. "Do you have any idea where...?"_

_Alek looked away from them, in a vain attempt to hide the tears he was holding back. "No, I don't know where she is. She left me last night."_

_Jaspert and Ma gasped. Volger looked at Alek sympathetically. "..I see," he said, trying to do so as gently as possible._

_Alek continued, "She said she needed to 'see the world'. I suppose I was holding her back."_

_Jaspert wrapped an arm around his mother as she let out a sob. "Foolish girl!" she said. "Doesn't she know what she's losing?"_

_"Come on, Ma," Jaspert said softly as he led her out of the room._

_Volger turned to Alek, "Prince Aleksandar, I suggest you wash up and get some rest. We have much to discuss these next few days."_

_Alek knew exactly what he meant. He was talking about getting Alek onto the throne of Austria-Hungary as Emperor. When he had decided to marry Deryn, he was going to renounce the throne and live as a commoner. However, that wouldn't be official until he and Deryn were legally married, which they obviously weren't, yet. It was like Volger to say something like that when Alek was so vulnerable. He knew deep down the man had his best interests at heart, but blisters! Couldn't he see it was too soon?_

"Aleksandar! Aleksandar!"

Alek woke with a start. His head shot up from his desk, papers sticking to his cheek. He must have been more tired than he thought. And who should be standing there but Count Volger himself?

"Good morning, Your Highness," the Count began. "I see you've been working on the things I left for you. How did it go yesterday?"

Strangely enough, Count Volger had been very placid when Alek told him about the letter he received from Jaspert just a week and a half ago. Come to think of it, the man seemed almost _interested_ in it.

Still waking up, Alek slowly peeled one of the papers away from his face. "Actually, it went quite well. Before we discuss that, though, could we please get some tea? Ysobel!" Alek called to the older woman, who had been dusting in the hall outside the door. She had been working for Alek's family as long as Volger had, so she had seen Alek grow up. She was very small and plump and French.

"Yes, sir! I'll bring you some right away," she said as she scuffled off.

She returned shortly with the tray of hot tea and various pastries, including shortbread. Alek had come to the palace one day and wouldn't stop talking about it, so the bakers had tried to recreate it for him. It didn't taste nearly the same, but Alek didn't have the heart to say so; it was so kind of them to try. Usually Bovril ended up eating most of it with no complaints anyway. Alek took a piece and waved it in front of the beastie's nose, which had also just woken up. Its eyes brightened and snatched and ate it under the desk, muttering to itself about munchings and delights.

Volger cleared his throat as Alek bit into an apple strudel. "You were saying, Your Highness..."

Alek swallowed and stealthily tossed another piece of the Austrian shortbread to Bovril.

"Ah, yes," he began. "It went well, considering."

Volger raised an eyebrow. "Considering what, if I may ask?"

Alek's face sombered. "Mrs. Sharp is dying," he said softly.

"I am sorry, Aleksandar. I know how much she meant to you..." the Count said.

Was that a touch of genuine sympathy in Volger's voice? Alek should have gotten more sleep; he was probably hearing things.

"Yes, unfortunate indeed," he continued. "They don't know exactly what the matter is, but there might be a chance she could get better. Regardless, she asked me to do something for her."

Volger gave him an interested look. "Oh?"

Alek paused for a moment. As concerned as he seemed, why was the Count peppering him with questions about this? He decided to answer the question anyways, "She wants me to find Deryn." Alek braced himself for the unavoidable glare that was surely coming his way.

But instead of a glare, a concerned, earnest looked flashed across Volger's sharp features. "Deryn? But no one knows where she is!"

Alek was taken aback. Who was this man and what had he done with the Count? "No, but they have a good idea. Someplace in Central America called Guatemala. A city called Tikal, I think." Alek explained to him about the pictures.

Volger stood up and walked to the window, facing the city. "Aleksandar, as I think you will agree, things have been... difficult since you have become Emperor."

Now that was an understatement. To say Alek loved his job would be very, very far from the truth. The Austrians hated him: they saw him as a young fool, wishy washy, only turning back to them when he had nothing better to do. He almost never went into the city unless he absolutely had to; the glares and fierce whispers had been too much. And he had spent so much time with Darwinists; the Austrians were staunch Clankers. He was trapped in his palace, frustrated. Being perfectly honest, Alek knew he would have been much happier a commoner. But Volger had been right: would he rather been a miserable commoner, alone, or the ruler of an empire? At least with the latter he would stay busy.

The Count continued. "..And I know that part of that difficulty has been on my part." True, again. The Count could get very pushy.

Alek interrupted, "Volger, what is the meaning of this?"

The Count returned to the desk and sat across from Alek. "Your Highness, I think it's simple to see that you haven't been enjoying your last two years as Emperor."

Alek raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes, actually. But the opinion of the people doesn't matter; they've made their feelings clear enough already. Alek, I know you've been miserable since the day Deryn left you."

Was the Count trying to be _sensitive_?

"..What?" he asked, confused.

"Your Highness, I will do everything in my power to assist you in finding Deryn Sharp."

What was wrong with the Count today? Did someone slip something into his tea?

Alek gaped. "What? When I was going to marry Deryn, you fought me practically every step of the way!"

"I know," the Count said. "Aleksandar, Austria-Hungary is a crumbling empire; the people want their own government, and that is out of your control. Talk of revolutions on the streets," Alek remembered the bloody revolution he had taken part of in Istanbul. He remembered the people who participated and their distaste for the sultan. He gulped. Did the Austrians think of him like that?

The Count continued, "Austria-Hungary is becoming a dangerous place. I believe I made the wrong choice when I pushed you back onto the throne. And so I wish to apologize." Apologize? Who was this man and what had he done with Volger?

"Are you saying it was pointless of me to take the throne?"

"It very well may have been," the Count continued. "Aleksandar, your father and mother wanted you to be Emperor, but they cared about your happiness far more. Looking back, if they had the choice, I think they would have chosen Deryn for you over the empire."

Alek once again gaped. "Deryn? But she's gone-"

Volger looked at him, determined and sincere. "Then we'll have to find her, won't we?"


	4. Tagann tú mé II

The next few days had been hectic. Volger had been looking for an excuse to send Alek to Central America quietly. He didn't want the Austro-Hungarians to find out and start a revolution, after all. It was only a few days after Volger and Alek's discussion that a letter with suspiciously good timing arrived.

Volger took it to Alek's room and knocked softly.

"Come in," Alek said.

The Count opened his door and found Alek sitting on his bed with Bovril, the creature in his lap, looking at the locket that had once belonged to Alek's father. Inside was a photograph of his mother, beautiful and young. Sitting on the bed the way he was, Alek resembled his mother more than usual. Soft and pensive he looked, just like she had been.

"Your Highness," Volger said. "I believe a way for you to go Central America has presented itself. "

Alek jumped up, accidentally sending Bovril to the floor. He had been letting the perspicacious loris babble to him about the past few days, hoping its perspicaciousness would help him figure things out. The creature let out a dramatic, exaggerated scream, which he may have found amusing if he wasn't in such a rush.

"Yes? How?"

"The United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico have sent you an invitation to come visit their facilities," Volger read. "I believe they are currently looking for more sponsors, but they're located in Tikal."

Alek froze. The United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico? This couldn't be where Deryn was; he thought they referred to themselves as Dextera Domini, after all. He explained this to the Count.

Volger looked thoughtful. "That is a rather uncommon name. Sure to scare off the dignities. Your Highness, with a name meaning 'the Right Hand of God', I wouldn't use it in front of anyone but members. Perhaps they refer to themselves as the United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico to appeal to the other countries. It is a much more peaceful name, after all."

This made sense. It was a strange name, and was sure to scare off dignitaries from sponsoring them. So perhaps they did use a different name in all their public relations.

Volger continued reading aloud, "The airship, called the _Gondolin_, leaves from Sicily in three days. It takes you over America and to Guatemala, where it stops for two days before flying to Africa-"

Alek interrupted, "Africa?" Jaspert hadn't mentioned that.

Volger nodded. "Apparently they have been working in Tikal, but their base of operations is in the Belgian Congo."

Alek was surprised. Belgian Congo was a dark place, with its thick rain forests and bloody civil wars. The Congo River flowed through it, deep and full of dangerous creatures. Alek had heard rumors that the local boffins used it as a dumping ground for their failed fabrications.

"Anyways, you will leave for Caltanissetta tomorrow, to the estate of a man named Aurelio. He owns the _Gondolin_ and must be funding this trip. That is, if you still wish to go, Your Highness."

Alek thought for a moment, but he didn't even think of changing his mind. "Yes, I'll be there."

"Good," said the Count. "Aleksandar, seeing as the current state your empire, I think it would be wise if I stayed here."

Alek wasn't expecting that. It seemed like everywhere he went for more than a few days, the Count would go, too. But still, it would be a good idea to have him stay behind and handle the state affairs; if ever there was a man Alek trusted his entire kingdom to, it was Volger.

"Yes, Count, that would be helpful. Thank you," he said slowly.

Volger nodded. "Take Bauer and Klopp with you, and Hoffman and I may be able to join you and Deryn in the second half in Africa. We will try, but I can't promise anything."

_And Deryn? _

Alek agreed. "Yes, I'd like them to join me if they could."

"Good. Then I shall tell them to get packing, and I suggest you do the same," he replied and left the room.

"Volger," called Alek. "How are you so sure she's there?" he asked with a touch of anxiety in his voice.

"Your Highness, you may want to take another look at the letter," and with that, he was off.

Alek raised an eyebrow and lifted the letter the Count had left on his nightstand. Bovril climbed up his arm and perched on his shoulder. Alek examined the letter front and back, but found nothing unusual. He flipped it over and read it twice through, and still nothing. Then he flipped it over to the back, and saw something at the bottom etched into the paper, as if someone had pressed hard on the pencil while writing and then erased it. He took the paper to his desk and set it down. This was a trick Deryn had showed him that she had used whenever she needed to write to Jaspert something that would reveal her gender from the _Leviathan_. He took a pencil and held it at an angle, gently rubbing it over the etched marks. Words appeared there. He couldn't make it out at first, but as he continued rubbing it with the pencil, he saw: _Tagann tú mé__._ What did that mean? It looked familiar, but Alek couldn't quite place it. Bovril, reading over his shoulder, pronounced it in a way that sounded correct, but it still didn't ring any bells. What did the Count mean?

Still sleepy, Alek went back to his bed to lie down. Bovril kept repeating the phrase, sounding Scottish when it did so. Almost like.. Deryn? She had taught him quite a bit of Gaelic years ago, which Alek picked up well, but with no one to speak it to, he had forgotten much of it. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. _Mé_was obviously_ me_; he knew that much. He couldn't sleep, not with Bovril pacing on his stomach, repeating the phrase over and over.

"Come find me," the creature said in a very distinct and familiar Scottish voice.

Alek's eyes shot open. That was it. Deryn Sharp was definitely in Tikal, and she needed Alek to find her.


	5. Il Cielo Sulla Terra

**Hi, everyone!**

**I feel like this chapter is a little boring, but there are important details I needed to share!**

**Caltanissetta is right in the middle of Sicily. I picked it mostly because the name was fun to say. :)**

**Thank you to jibblitmuffins3675, Obsessed-With-****Obsession555, and Ellie Stone for your kind reviews! :) And everyone else I missed; you guys keep me motivated!**

**TabbySparks: You're awesome! I hope you enjoy the next few! :)**

**All original characters belong to Scott Westerfeld! I own nothing.**

**Here we go. :)**

_Il Cielo Sulla Terra_

"Your Highness," the voice of Hans Bauer said. "I think we have arrived."

Alek awoke, lifting his head up from the side of the carriage. He and Klopp and Bovril and Bauer had been traveling for the entire day, half by train, by water, and now by carriage. As soon as they were off the ferry that took them from Italy to Sicily, they were met by a man called Lorenzo, a tall, dark Italian sent by Aurielo to collect them.

The carriage ride had been long; apparently Caltanissetta was further inland than Alek expected. The scenery was beautiful; as soon as they were away from the ocean, it was mostly hills and cliffs and trees. It seemed as though they were going up a steady incline, like they were climbing a small, subtle mountain.

"Does he live in a castle?" Bauer asked, as the horses then pulled the cart onto a small forest path. The passed trees, going deep and deeper into the woods until they came to a large clearing, more like a valley really. It reminded Alek of the glen near Deryn's house. In this valley were a fairly good-sized village and a lake, and at the far end was a large cliff, high above everything, where there was a waterfall and what appeared to be someone's mansion. There were boats out on the lake, more than likely for fishing, and people everywhere. As hidden as this place was, it was certainly busy. They began to go down, through the village.

Klopp, who'd be observing through the window, said, "These houses are unlike any I've ever seen before!"

Bauer nodded. "Yes, they're very pretty."

And they were. Almost all of them were a chalky white and almost whimsical in structure, with lots of pillars and open roofs. There were vines growing up the sides of various buildings, adding the nice contrast of green against the white. As they passed through the street, Alek noticed there was something different about the people, too. They looked so.. happy. Not at all like the typical Germans or Austro-Hungarians or even the British; these people smiled at them as they passed, some even waved. The few that weren't staring at them were talking with each other, laughing and moving their hands a lot as they spoke.

The carriage came to the edge of the village, and began to climb up a steeper path. The path twisted and turned until they came to the plateau at the top. As it came into view, Alek could see that Aurielo's estate, assuming this was his, was magnificent. They passed gardens bursting with flowers and vineyards as far as the eye could see; fountains everywhere. A huge, Roman-style house was in the center of it, sitting on an outcropping that oversaw the lake and village below. There was a large pond that surrounded what looked like most of the back of the house, which split in two and met again in the front, forming the magnificent waterfall. Two covered bridges came from the sides of the house that went over the water and led to two exceptionally large gazebos. It looked so ethereal. It was in the outskirts of the city, just far enough where it wouldn't be noticed, but not so far that it was an inconvenience. And the village and estate were hidden deep in the woods, perfect for someplace that didn't desire to be found. Alek got the feeling that you only came here if you were invited.

The carriage passed over a small bridge and finally stopped in front of the villa. It was even bigger than it had looked from inside the carriage. The main door was monstrously huge; there were four pillars on either side of it supporting the roof, far above everything. Out of the main door came a large man, with dark hair and ruddy cheeks. He had a great beard that hung just below his chin and happy, kind eyes. He certainly looked very Italian. As Klopp, Bauer, and Alek stumbled out of the carriage, he approached them and said, in a booming voice, "_Benvenuto_!"

Unsure of how to act around such a person, Alek bowed slightly and answered in his best Italian, "Thank you, sir! I am Aleksandar of Hohenberg, these are my men Otto Klopp, and Hans Bauer. We thank you for your invitation and are excited to be here." Klopp and Bauer also gave small bows, unsure of what to do in front of a man with _such_ a big house.

The man laughed robustly. "It is nice to meet you," he said in Italian. When he saw the puzzled glances they both gave him, his expression changed, "Ah, is English better?" he said flawlessly. Both Klopp and Bauer had picked up a sufficient amount of English after working aboard the _Leviathan_, Bauer more so than Klopp.

The two of them smiled and Bauer said gratefully, "Yes, sir, English is much better. Thank you!"

"Very good," said the man."I am Aurielo, and welcome to my villa, _Il Cielo Sulla Terra!_" He laughed and spread his arms when they didn't understand, "Heaven on earth!"

"_Il Cielo Sulla Terra!_" Bovril repeated from Alek's shoulder. He had nearly forgotten the loris was standing on his shoulder.

Aurielo let out a yelp of excitement as he bent down to Bovril's level with a gleeful look on his face. "And this is my perspicacious loris, Bovril," Alek introduced, a caught a bit off guard by Aurielo's closeness and excitement.

"Ah, little loris!" he said as he reached to pet Bovril with his finger. "I think you're going to like it here!"

"Thank you very much for having us, sir," Alek said.

He straightened back up. "Please, Your Highness, call me Aurielo."

"Only if you'll call me Alek," said the prince with a smile. He didn't like people using his full title outside of the palace if he could help it.

"Fair enough," Aurielo answered. "You must be exhausted from your travels. You have arrived in perfect time. Please, come inside!" he said gleefully.

The inside of the house was appropriately beautiful. There was a marble floor and staircase facing them as they entered, and mezzanines above that. To the left and right of the entryway were two very large doors, undoubtedly leading to a collection of more rooms.

"Gentlemen," Aurielo bellowed. "Your rooms are up the stairs. I hope you don't mind sharing, we're a bit short on accommodations, I'm afraid to say."

_Short on accommodations in a place as big as this?_ Alek thought to himself. _Had he invited the entire village?_

"As soon as you're freshened up and are ready, please join us for dinner," he continued. "Even you, my little friend," he said as he scooted down to pet the loris. "I've got a friend I think you'll be delighted to meet." he continued. _So we aren't his only guests_, Alek confirmed to himself. Bauer gave him a look that implied he was thinking the same thing.

"Haamid will take you to your room," he said, gesturing for a small Indian man to come closer. He was dressed in white linens, and looked quite pleasant. He nodded, and said, "Sirs." Alek and his men returned his nod.

"Until then," Aurielo said as he smiled.

"Thank you, Aurielo. We shall be ready in no time," Alek said as Klopp and Bauer trudged up the stairs. This made Alek suddenly thankful he hadn't packed more than one bag; there must have been at least a hundred steps.

"Benvenuto!" Bovril imitated Aurielo from Alek's shoulder.

Aurielo apologizing for them having to share proved quite unnecessary once they entered the room. It reminded Alek of the suite he and the men shared at the Hotel Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, except almost twice as big. They each had their own bedroom, luxurious and lovely. In Alek's there was even a large, fluffy pillow on the floor for Bovril, which the creature noticed immediately and jumped onto with great delight. There was a door to a balcony and what seemed to be like a castle turret in the corner, except it was like a gazebo, holding up its roof with pillars, open in between.

Klopp let out a low whistle.

Bauer asked, "What does this man do for a living again?"

"Volger says he's a doctor," Alek answered. "Or used to be."

"He must have been quite good at it!" Klopp chimed in.

He and Bauer each took to their rooms, tired from the journey. Bovril nestled in his little bed, satisfied. Alek set his things down and decided to explore the balcony.

Once outside, he could see why Aurielo called his estate Heaven on Earth. The view was absolutely magnificent.

They were in the back of the house, the side they were unable to see when they arrived. More towards the right, a large pond covered in water lilies stretched out just beyond where Alek could see. Smaller than the two in the front of the house, that came over the stream that made the waterfall, were several small covered bridges, jutting out in various directions. They all met in the middle, where they were connected to a huge gazebo sort of building. White boats were scattered throughout the water, some of which had people rowing them around. Swans and ducks swam in a leisurely manner, not bothered by the was a terrace directly below him, most likely so that anyone on the first floor could step outside if they wished. Beyond all of that, off towards the left, where there was a little lawn, Alek could see a small gate that led into the forest and to what looked like a stone garden, filled with statues and tables and the like. It was incredible.

He was called back inside by Bauer, unsure of which tie to wear. Alek himself wasn't sure, so he went back in to see what he had packed.

The four (including Bovril!) of them freshened up and changed when Haamid returned, and asked, "Are you ready, sirs?"

"Yes, I think so," answered Alek as he adjusted his blue silk tie. He wasn't sure how formal this dinner would be, so he didn't want to take any chances of being underdressed. He picked Bovril up and placed him on his shoulder. He didn't think Aurielo would mind; he had been quite excited to see Bov in the first place, after all. And he had mentioned something about a friend for Bovril? He simply couldn't mean another loris; only two of them existed.

Haamid smiled. "Then follow me this way, if you would please," he said as he led them down the hall and back down the stairs. They went across the first floor, the one they had entered the house in, to a very large door that Haamid opened for them. "In here," he said with a polite bow.

Alek gave him a small smile and nodded, "Thank you again."

"It is my deepest pleasure, sir," he said, bowing once more. "Enjoy dinner."

Baur, Klopp, Alek, and Bovril entered the room. It looked like a ballroom. Mirrors lined the walls, and there was a huge chandelier coming down from the ceiling, right above an enormous dining table. There were people all over the place, enjoying cocktails and small talk. There were all dressed in a way that made Alek glad he decided to wear his tie and jacket. They all appeared to be very important, no doubt dignitaries, boffins, and other scientist. As he scanned the crowd of people, Aurielo's eyes met his.

"Ah, Aleksandar!" he called as he crossed the sea of people. "Glad to see you," he looked behind Alek, "And you and Mr. Klopp as well, of course," he said to Bauer with a smile. They smiled and nodded.

"It is our pleasure, Aurielo," Alek said. "It seems you have quite a crowd."

Aurielo laughed. "Yes, I suppose you could say that! Speaking of which, I have someone I think you will be interested in meeting, my little friend," he said to Bovril. "Please, this way!" he said as he led them through the crowd.

Alek, Bauer, and Klopp nodded and smiled at the people they passed as the crossed the room. Bovril, who had been sitting nicely on Alek's shoulder, suddenly said, "Perfectly perspicacious!" and jumped down and ran ahead in the direction they were going. Alek didn't realize what had happened until they came a little further and he saw Bovril chattering happily with another, all-too-familiar loris. They were sitting on a small coffee table, and standing next to them was a woman talking to a man dressed in a blue suit.

Aurielo said, "My good sirs, Aleksandar, Bauer, and Klopp, may I present to you my friend, Dr. Nora Darwin Barlow!"


	6. Il Cielo Sulla Terra II

Doctor Barlow turned and smiled at them, as if she ran into people she hasn't seen in years in fancy Italian houses every day.

"Aleksandar! How nice to see you," she said pleasantly. "And Mr. Bauer and Mr. Klopp, my what a treat this is!"

Aurielo looked interested, "You know each other?" he said with a smile.

"Indeed," said Doctor Barlow. "Aleksandar and I worked together a few years ago, we met on board the _Leviathan_."

"Oh! How delightful. Please, you must tell me about it sometime!" he said as he walked away. "If you'll excuse me."

Alek was still in shock. "Doctor Barlow," he managed. "We did not expect to see you here."

She smiled. "I could say the same thing to you." Fair enough. This was a visit boffins would be typically interested in, after all.

Before he could learn anymore, Aurielo boomed from the front of the room, "Ladies, gentleman, and boffins! Dinner has been served," he said, grinning.

Doctor Barlow picked her loris, and Alek did the same. She cleared her throat and said, "Perhaps we could catch up, if you wouldn't mind sitting next to me?"

"Certainly," he said. "It would be my pleasure."

Dinner was an extravagant affair. Fish, lobsters, venison, pheasant; bowls upon bowls of pasta with every course. Cheeses, grapes, and olives in between. Wine was being served by the gallon; Aurielo stated that it was from his own vineyards. Cannolis, cakes, cookies, ices, and Italian coffee after.

Alek was seated at the corner of the table, next to Aurielo, who sat at the head, and Doctor Barlow to his right. Bauer and Klopp had been introduced to a few various boofins by Aurielo, and were sitting with them a few seats down.

"I must say, Aleksandar, this is quite a surprise," Doctor Barlow said as the first round of pasta was being served. She and Alek hadn't kept in touch these past two years, not since he had to leave the Society so abruptly.

"Yes, Doctor Barlow, I do agree," Alek replied. "So, if I may ask-"

"Ah! Old friends reunited! _Splendido!_" Aurielo interrupted, with an Italian flourish on the last word.

Doctor Barlow smiled politely and nodded, and Aurielo's attention was turned towards the servant waiting on him. From what Alek could understand, he was saying, "We'll have thirty lobsters, make sure to _steam_ them, a flank of venison, and _please_ don't forget the _cappellini_! And bring more wine!" A chorus of "_cappellini!" _followed from the lorises, who had been sneaking about under the table.

She moved closer to Alek and said in a low voice, "You must forgive him, Aleksandar. He's a very enthusiastic individual."

"I noticed," he answered.

Doctor Barlow straightened back and and said, "You were saying?"

"Yes!" Alek said, brought back to his train of thought. "Doctor Barlow, if I may ask, why are you are?"

"Well, Aleksandar, that is a long and rather complicated story. May I propose we play a game of tit for tat?"

Alek raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I know what you mean," he said.

"Tit for tat, quid quo pro; you ask me a question, I will answer, and then do the same to you," she said as she took a sip of wine and tossed a few grapes down to the lorises.

Alek thought for a moment. "Yes, but I will warn you now, there may be questions that are currently... unanswerable, ones that I may not be at liberty to discuss at the moment."

"Yes, of course," Doctor Barlow said. "You may begin."

"All right. Why are you here?"

She didn't miss a beat. "Aurielo and I are old friends. I received an invitation weeks ago, and since I've never seen any of the United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico's work in person before-"

"But you know of it?" Alek interrupted. "What is it like?"

"Ah! It's not your turn to ask," she cleared her throat. "Why, Aleksandar, Emperor of Austria-Hungary, are you here? I must admit, of all people to bump into, you would have been the least likely supsect."

Alek hesitated for a moment. He couldn't tell Doctor Barlow the true nature of his travels, not with all of these people around.

"I was sent an invitation and accepted it..Because.. I needed a ..holiday." _Dummkopf_, he thought to himself. He was truly the most terrible liar.

"Oh?" Doctor Barlow said curiously. "Strange of the UDSRM to send an invitation to the ruler of such a staunch Clanker nation." It _was_ a little strange, him receiving an invitation, especially from a strictly Darwinist society. But there was the message on the back, most definitely from Deryn, so perhaps she had sent it in secret.

She continued, "But I suppose they must have heard of your interest in Darwinism. It was kind of you to bring your men along," she said, motioning to Klopp and Bauer, who were currently laughing with a group of French scientists they had befriended. "I myself can hardly travel without assistance these days! When Deryn left the Society so suddenly," she looked irritated, but only for a moment, "I had to take drastic measures to find someone to take her place." She looked saddened at the thought. "Mr. Newkirk is nowhere near as quick-minded-"

"Newkirk?" Alek said, eyes wide. "He's here, too?"

"Yes, of course he is," she said. "I needed _someone_ to walk Tazza and mind the luggage…" She continued on, but Alek's ears were more interested in a conversation going on to his left, one between Aurielo and an American boffin.

"…Well, my friend," Aurielo said, "I've never actually been to Tikal, but I have toured their facilities in Africa and I must say it is splendid! The head biologist, Doctor Sharp-"

Alek dropped his fork. It hadn't made a lot of noise, just enough to get looks from the people near him.

"Excuse, Aurielo, but did you say Doctor Sharp?" he asked, turning towards him.

"Yes, I did!" the man said excitedly. "Wonderful lady she is, wonderful. She's one of a kind, really, _brilliante_!"

The American sitting to Aurielo's left, straight across from Alek, nodded. "She really is. Word has it that Dmitri Shchavelsky recruited her himself, which is highly unusual, considering how they like to keep things on the quiet side." The man extended his hand across the table to Alek. "Benjamin Harker, at your service, Your Highness."

"Pleasure to meet you," Alek said. "Please, call me Alek."

Aurielo piped in, "Doctor Harker is a fabricator of all creatures, but specializes in birds."

Alek nodded. "How very interesting. Do you know anything else about this organization, Doctor Harker? The UDSRM?"

Ben nodded. "They're a very secretive society, lots of their ideas are one-of-a-kind, and if word got out to other boffins, say, those looking for new ideas, the UDSRM would be out of business!"

Alek chuckled politely. "Do you have any idea what the project is they are working on? The one they are so eager for us to see?"

Ben laughed. "Well, a little! The project began in Africa a year and a half ago; the species they were studying remains unknown! They've been in Tikal about six months, working with a kind of rare bird called the quetzal. Fabricating it into something the world has never seen!"

Alek thought of the sketch Jaspert had shown him. He absorbed the information, and then asked, "And this Dmitri Shchavelsky, he is the leader?"

"Yes, he sure is," Ben said as one of the waiters set down a tray of coffee in front of him. "Straight from Siberia, if I remember correctly. Only met him once, but he was a charming fellow. Says he studied at the University of Oxford, same place as this Deryn Sharp."

Alek tried to remember if Deryn had ever mentioned anyone by that name, but it wasn't ringing a bell. He wanted to ask more about her, but certainly not in front of all these people.

Doctor Barlow chuckled softly as she took a sip of her coffee. "Taking a holiday, indeed."


	7. Secrets

**Thank you, Jett-Wolfe98 and EllieStone! :)**

**Cocijo is pronounced kokE oh. Neither him nor his father is based on any real person. **

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld.**

Secrets

"_Miss Sharp, you can walk away from those you love or have them taken from you. It's your choice."_

"_Please!" Deryn begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. She sobbed, out of frustration and despair. "Don't hurt them."_

"_It's not me who's going to hurt them, Deryn, if you agree to our bargain. They won't even know we exist."_

_She closed her eyes and thought of Jaspert, her Ma, and Alek._ Alek_. What was she going to say to him?_

_She sighed, defeated. "And you say you'll let me go once I successfully create your beastie?"_

_His expression was serious. "If you don't break any of our conditions we agreed on, you have my word."_

_More tears. Before she could change her mind, she nodded. "I'll do it."_

"_Excellent. If they knew the conditions, I'm sure your family would be glad, too. We leave tomorrow morning. You have until then to do what you need to."_

_Deryn's heart sank into her stomach. "But you said-"_

"_That your family and loved ones will cease to exist if you don't cooperate!" he hissed. "I think you know how powerful I am, Deryn. Or should I make another example out of _your_ family?"_

_The boy beside her whimpered, big brown eyes still full of tears. He was so small. How could this man slaughter his sisters right in front of him, a mere child? He looked at her with pleading eyes._

_She nodded. "Just give me a few hours, and I'll do what I need to."_

_His expression changed, back to the pleasant mask he wore so well._

"_Wonderful! I think I'm going to like you, Miss Sharp. Welcome to __the United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico__. However, within the society, you may refer to us as _Dextera Domini_."_

"_But not outside of it?" she ventured._

_He frowned and looked almost.. sad?_

"_No, Miss Sharp, The world does not yet know what _Dextera Domini_ is capable of, and therefore won't respect it, and therefore won't accept it. Just the United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico for now, I'm afraid. But UDSRM will be acceptable, too."_

"_And what precisely does Dextera Domini mean, sir? Is it Latin?"_

_He looked down, then turned his eyes up to meet hers, manic expression back. "The Right Hand of God," he said, gleeful grin in place._

_Deryn did not like that expression, not a single bit._

Deryn,_ she thought to herself. _What have you gotten yourself into?

"Deryn! Deryn!" a muffled yet frantic voice called, accompanied by a quick pounding of the door.

She shot straight up in bed. The nightmare again. She'd been reliving that moment nearly every night for the past two years. She wiped the tears and sweat from her face and jumped up to answer the door.

A few rays of early sunshine trickled in through the small window in the small room, illuminating her dresser. On it, she could see the portrait of her family, Da included. Deryn commended herself every day for grabbing that one before she'd left. Next to it, unframed, was a sketch she had done of Alek. She had done that one when she first arrived in Africa.

She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her nightdress, and swung open the door.

"Yes?" she said, a little sharper than she'd meant to.

It was Cocijo. The poor boy looked more frightened than usual.

"Nightmares, too?" Deryn guessed. He nodded. "All right, come in," she said. "But be quiet about it!"

He went in and sat in the chair by her dresser, quietly observing her few precious belongings.

She looked both ways down the hall to make sure no one had seen and closed the door. Luckily, her room was the only one on this side of the hall, which was closest to where the monkeys were kept. They were noisy neighbors, but it turned out to be a helpful thing for when she and Cocijo needed to sneak about. They were especially smelly, too, so not many people came down this way if they didn't have to. She sat down on the edge of her bed and said, "..Do you want to talk about it?"

Cocijo furrowed his brow shook his head no. _All right, _Deryn thought to herself. _Cranky and frightened._

"Would you like me to fetch you some water?"

He shook his head again.

"Do you want to talk at all?"

He nodded.

"All right, what would you like to talk about?"

"What would you do if you ever saw Alek again?

Deryn was caught off guard by _that_. She thought about that question quite often herself.

She scoffed. "I think you and I both know _that's _not going to happen anytime soon, Cocijo."

"But still, what if it did?"

"Then I would throw my arms around him and tell him how sorry I was," she answered, exasperated.

Cocijo sensed her irritation and changed the subject. "Deryn, may I tell you something I've never told anyone else before?"

She nodded. Cocijo was her assistant and now her only friend. Since he didn't have his mother, he sort of treated Deryn like one, coming into her room when he had nightmares, asking her for help with various scientific business, and the like. She'd never thought herself as particularly motherly in nature, but she liked having someone around that needed her.

"Do you remember last week, when Dmitri told us the last true Mayan king of Guatemala had been killed by revolutionaries, the one they called the Jaguar King?" he asked, slowly looking up at her.

"Aye," she said softly. "I do. Why?" The revolutionaries had been more riled up than usual lately. Deryn thought they were all foolish. Killing their own king, and then complaining about it!

Cocijo looked upset. "My father was killed in the battle."

She saw tears fall from Cocijo's eyes. "Poor wee lad," she said aloud. "Come here, you."

He sat next to her on the bed as she put her arms around him. It may not have been very proper, her sitting with a boy on her bed in her room, but she didn't care.

He was a child, after all, who at age 13 had been through more grown-ups ever will in life. This situation reminded her so much of the first time she and Alek had been alone on the _Leviathan._

"There, there," she cooed. "Here, dry your eyes," she said, once his quiet sobs began to let up.

He gratefully took the handkerchief from her hands. "Thank you," he tried to say through the last bit of tears.

"Aye," she said. "I remember when I lost my Da! I wanted to do nothing but curl up in a ball and cry for the rest of my life."

Still wiping his eyes, Cocijo said, "What did you do?"

She brought her arms back and crossed them in front of her as she said, "Well, I did just that, for a week, anyways. My Ma wouldn't let me after she'd found out about it."

Cocijo's eyes widened. "She didn't'?"

"No, and I hated her for it," Deryn said dryly. "But I thanked her a few years after. It was such a good thing that she did."

"How so?"

"It made me stronger," Deryn began. "I had to learn to deal with the pain head on, no matter how much it hurt. I still missed my Da like crazy, and I still do, but I'm okay now."

"What do you mean, 'okay'?"

"I mean that I can think about him without getting all teary, most of the time anyways. That wound has healed, not completely, but for the most part." She turned to him. "And I know you don't believe me right now, but I promise you, Cocijo, you're going to make it through this," she said with great earnestness in her voice.

A very small smile crept on Cocijo lips. "Thank you, Deryn. That means a lot to me."

She smiled back at him, "Aye, lad. Now, go back to bed and try to get some more sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us."

He nodded as he returned her handkerchief and walked to the door.

"Actually, there's one more thing," he said.

She looked at him expectantly.

"I never really knew my father; he sent me away after I was born. I used to be angry about it, but I think he did it for a reason, to keep my safe." Deryn nodded. Dmitri had found Cocijo in England, where he'd been living with several of his older sisters.

"His name was K'inich Yax Ahkal K'awiil II."

Deryn's eyes widened. That was the name all the papers had in them. Cocijo's father was the_ king_, not some barking revolutionary! "That would make you.."

"Cocijo, the last Jaguar King of Guatemala."


	8. Secrets II

**I took some liberties and sort of combined Aztec and Mayans! Quetzalcoatl (ket-zel-coat-el) is not the god of the earth; he is the god of many different things to both the Aztecs and Mayans, so I just chose one. The sacrificing every 52 years to keep the sun in the sky was more of an Aztec thing, I believe, though human sacrifice was something the Mayans did practice.**

**THANK YOU to everyone who's reviewed so far! Each of you is so sweet, and your encouragement keeps me going! :)**

**stopthaetimerave: You rock! I am loving your enthusiasm!**

**Daft Prince: Thank you! :) You're great!**

**And again to everyone else: truly, thank you. :)**

**Captain Dakkar, in case you are wondering, is a reference to Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (which I do not own.).**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld! I own nothing.**

_Alek had positively been a wreck all day._

_Tonight was the night. He was going to do it._

_He'd only just gotten the courage to ask Jaspert a few hours ago. It was only proper, to ask permission for this sort of thing, and since Deryn's father wasn't there, he figured Jaspert would be second. Jaspert had been very enthusiastic about the idea, which made Alek very nervous. He expected to have to make a strong argument for his case, but when Jaspert readily agreed, he was taken by surprise._

"_Aye, of course!" Jaspert said as he clapped Alek on the shoulder. "It's about time!"_

"_Well, Jaspert, let me explain- I'm sorry, what did you say?"_

"_I said 'yes', you ninny! Now get on with it before I change my mind!"_

_Alek gulped. It wasn't like him to be so nervous. He'd met kings and queens, dined with all sorts of dignitaries without a problem, but asking a girl to marry him? That was a different matter._

_Of course, Deryn wasn't just any girl. She was _the_ girl; Alek had never met anyone remotely like her and doubted if he ever would. She was strong and smart, her sense of humor impeccable. She'd saved his life more times than he could count. She was his very best friend, the one person who knew he could count on._

"_It's just that.. Well, you see-" Alek began, fiddling with the small box in his pocket. (It had been his mother's ring.)_

"_You're a bit nervous, is that it?" Jaspert said with a grin. "Oh, come on, Alek! She's saved your life multiple times. She even risked her sodding career by telling you her secret! And I know for a fact she loves you like anything. Do you really think she's going to say 'no'?"_

_Jaspert's well-intentioned words hadn't helped at all; in fact, it probably made Alek's nerves worse. He was waiting for Deryn at the top of the hill. He had asked her if she'd like to go for a walk after dinner, down to the glen. They did so quite often, so it wasn't out of the ordinary. And tonight was a full moon, which would be perfect._

_He had been waiting for her for what felt like hours (really, she was only a few minutes late) when he finally saw her coming up the hill. She was different from the 15 year-old he'd met a few years ago. Her lovely golden hair was down, wavy and blowing slightly in the wind. She had taken to wearing dresses more often, something Alek definitely didn't mind._

"_Hi, sorry I took so long," she said when she reached him, slightly out of breath. "Had to help Ma with the dishes."_

_Alek nodded. "It's all right," he said affirmatively. "Shall we go?" he said, offering his arm._

_She smiled and took it._

_She had looked so beautiful that night._

_That was a two and a half years ago today_, Alek thought to himself, before forcing himself to break from his daydream.

He had arrived at the stateroom door of Doctor Barlow. She had invited him to tea earlier that day, no doubt to discuss his reason for being here. He was hesitant at first; he wasn't sure if Doctor Barlow and Deryn had been on good terms when she'd left. But Doctor Barlow had promised him information about the UDSRM, and this mysterious Dmitri fellow. He knocked three times.

The door was opened by Newkirk. "Hullo, Alek! Doctor Barlow says she'll be back in a minute and you are to come right in. She had to go talk to the cap'n about something. She wanted me to watch the loris and Tazza."

"Thank you," Alek said as he entered the room. He was met by a very wiggly Tazza, who was obviously overjoyed to see him. Bovril jumped from his shoulder to the small couch, where Doctor Barlow's loris sat. The two began giggling and babbling.

"I've got say, it's good to see you," Newkirk said, sitting down on the couch as far as he could from the lorises. "After what happened with Deryn.." Alek swallowed. He did not want to talk about this right now, with Eugene Newkirk of all people.

"It's nice to see you also, Newkirk. How have you been?" Alek asked, choosing not to acknowledge the last bit of Newkirk's statement.

"Oh, I've been good. Worked on the _Leviathan_ for a bit after you left, then got a message from Doctor Barlow asking me to be her assistant two years ago and I've been doing that ever since! I'll tell you, my mum was quite pleased that I'd be going to a safer job, but when she found out it was for a Darwinist boffin, she about lost it!" he said, laughing as he brought a tray of tea things over to the table. "It's fun, working with the boffin, but I miss the old days on the _Leviathan_! Don't you?"

Alek was about to answer when the door opened.

"Aleksandar!" Doctor Barlow said brightly. "Thank you for joining me." She turned to Newkirk and in a short tone said, "Mr. Newkirk, you may take Tazza out for his walk now. Thank you."

"I'll talk to you later, Alek!" Newkirk shouted as he skulked to the door with a reluctant Tazza in tow.

"I'm very sorry you had to wait, Alek," Doctor Barlow began. "I had something to discuss with the captain, something about our course, actually."

Alek raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes, but none of that's important now," she said, taking off her hat. "How have you been, my dear boy?" she said as she sat down.

"I've been… All right," Alek said truthfully.

"Being an emperor's not all it's cracked up to be, I suppose?"

"No, how did you know?"

She laughed. "I do read the newspapers, you know."

Alek felt silly. Of course it was in the newspapers. How much his people hated him, what a fool the rest of the world saw him as.

"But it can't be easy for anyone," she continued, sensing his embarrassment. "If I may ask, have you heard from Deryn at all?"

He down at the table. "Not.. directly."

"But you have, in another way?" He nodded.

"Good, that is comforting, to hear that she's all right," she said softly as she poured tea for herself and Alek. "I had been wondering about her, what with her leaving my services so suddenly, and you…I am sorry, my dear boy! How insensitive I am. We don't have to discuss Miss Sharp if you do not wish to, but I have some information regarding her whereabouts you may be interested in."

Alek looked up. "Please, tell me."

"Do you remember the name that came up in conversation two nights ago, at Aurielo's dinner table?"

Alek nodded. "Yes, Dmitri Shchavelsky. Who is he?"

"Well, that's just it," she began. "We have very little solid information about him, if you will."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'we'?" Alek asked.

"Ah, yes, I see you haven't been able to discuss this with Count Volger as thoroughly as I have," she said. When he gave her a surprised expression, she added, "He and I have been corresponding by letter ever since you received an invitation."

Just that morning, Alek had been wondering if Volger was going to write to him. He usually did when Alek was away, mostly to update him about various political matters. Boring things.

"Why is he telling these things to you, and not to me?"

"I suspect his purpose is to keep you safe."

"Keep me safe? But he practically helped me pack as soon as we received the invitation!

"I understand that this may be confusing, Alek, but please trust me: if a spy were to intercept one of the letters, it may look like your leisurely trip to Tikal held deeper reasons. It could compromise this mission for us all."

"Mission?"

"Yes, of course. You didn't think Mr. Newkirk and I were here for fun, did you?"

"No, but I didn't think-"

"Our mission, Aleksandar, is to find out what exactly Dmitri Shchavelsky is creating, and destroy it if need be."

"But I thought that Aurielo said it could help end the war?"

"Aurielo is a wonderful, generous man, but far too trusting and optimistic. You surely remember Nikola Tesla's cannon, and the people believed it would end the war?"

Alek did remember; he had been one of them.

"What a catastrophe that turned out to be!" she continued. "Dmitri Shchavelsky and I actually went to school together, but I never got to know him well. I did know him just well enough to see that he is an erratic, self-absorbed human being. He suffered greatly during his childhood in Siberia, I will say that. However, there were several things I took note of when I knew him that make me suspicious of how pure his intentions are."

She paused for a sip of tea. "I remember his having a fascination with the culture of the ancient Mayans. It was very interesting to hear him talk about it, but he soon became obsessed. The Mayan calendar, as you may know, is based on a cycle of every 52 years. The Mayans believe that every 52 years, a sacrifice of noble blood must be made to appease Quetzalcoatl, the god of the earth. If a sacrifice does not happen, they believe that Quetzalcoatl will become enraged and not allow the sun to rise, destroying the universe."

"That sounds most gruesome," Alek said.

"Indeed," she continued. "But Dmitri was _consumed_ by it. We always just assumed it was merely a hobby until the spring we were to graduate. You see, several of our final graded projects disappeared from the lab."

Alek raised an eyebrow.

"He had been telling us that though it was not yet time for Quetzalcoatl to be appeased, it pleased the god to have small sacrifices made to him periodically. It was the next morning that some of the other students and I noticed that several of our fabrications, an early draft of the perspicacious loris included, were missing."

"What did you do?" Alek asked.

"Because his was missing also, we couldn't rightfully accuse him of taking them, so we had to start over. It was a very frustrating time for us all."

"We graduated in the end and all was well. But none of us heard from Dmitri until several years later. It was like he had vanished. Only from one of my colleagues did I hear a rumor that he wandered to Mexico, and met a man named Javier de Lorenza. The two of them spposedly started the UDSRM three or four years ago, but from what my sources tell me, no one has heard from Javier and Dmitri is presumed to have since taken control of the Society."

"At the University of Oxford, past graduates of science are welcomed back once they are well-established in their perspective careers. They are able to sit-in on experiments, and see if any students with potential catch their eye. Now, I know that Deryn did the same program as I did, meaning she would have had scientists sitting in on her also."

"But she never mentioned anything like that," Alek said.

"She may not have thought to," Doctor Barlow continued. "Not all students receive offers when they graduate; in fact, very few do. And we both knew of her future plans at the time, so she wouldn't have been looking for a job anyways."

_She had planned on marrying me_, Alek noted to himself.

"And so, Aleksandar, my theory is this: Dmitri must have heard of Deryn's work, and sought her ought for whatever his purposes are."

"But how would he have heard of her?"

"I'm afraid I may have been responsible for that," she said slowly. "I had bragged about her creations at one of the Darwinist conferences I attended a few years ago, and he may have heard through that way. It's the only way I can think of."

"Anyways, a few days before Deryn graduated, I remember very specifically having lunch at a restaurant near the University. I'm not entirely sure, but I am quite certain I saw Deryn sitting at a table with Dmitri from a distance. He must have noticed me, because when I went to say 'hello', they were gone."

Alek sighed. This was a lot to take in. "But why would she do that, Doctor Barlow? Agree to work for such a man?"

Doctor Barlow shook her head. "We may not know until we can locate her," she said. "However, I do know that Dmitri has an unnaturally good charm and higher-than-average intelligence about him. I wouldn't be surprised if he tricked her somehow."

Alek felt anger rising in him. Who was this Dmitri, and how did he intimidate Deryn Sharp, of all people, into working for him? He needed time to think about this.

"Thank you, Doctor Barlow," he said, standing up. He snapped for Bovril, who reluctantly crawled towards him.

"But Aleksandar," she said, "You still haven't told me why you're here."

He paused. "It's a simple reason, actually. Deryn's mother and brother. Her mother is dying, and asked me to bring her home."

"My, this is a precarious mission indeed."

"Indeed," he said. "Thank you for tea, and for sharing with me."

She smiled. "Of course. I must say, as surprised as I was, I am very pleased you'll be joining us. Something tells me that you'll be of great help to Mr. Newkirk and I."

He nodded, and turned the door knob.

"Oh, and Alek!" she called. "I do hope things work out for the best, with you and Deryn."

"Thank you," he said, barely above a whisper.

He was staring out of the cabin window aboard the _Gondolin_. The ship was very much similar to the Leviathan, in the sense that in was both fabricated and had Clanker engines. It had been fabricated from hundreds of different beasties, the main one being a narwhal. The entire ship was bright white. It's single, long horn was hollow, and inside was the bridge. It made for spectacular views, but the small bit of Clanker left within him still left Alek feeling uneasy inside of such an appendage.

They had been flying for almost two days now, and would be landing in Tikal this afternoon. It had been a pleasant journey, but nothing like his days aboard the _Leviathan_. That had been an adventure, and Doctor Barlow was right: Newkirk was no substitute for Deryn. Still, though, it was good to see him.

All of this new information from Doctor Barlow sent his mind reeling. He knew he shouldn't have, but missed Deryn so much. She had broken his heart, after all, without hardly any explanation. _I shouldn't miss her,_ his brain decided. But his heart wasn't listening. He needed to talk to someone.

He wondered why Volger felt the need to keep his location secret. Of all of his men, Volger was definitely the most reliable. He always had a plan, an alternative, no matter what the circumstance. He was exceptionally smart, too. And despite his irritating way of going about it, Alek did believe that he has his best interest at heart. He was the closest thing Alek had to a father since his had died.

Klopp knew about all things mechanikal, and had a great sense of humor. He always managed to cheer Alek up whenever he was feeling down. He was the oldest of them all, and very wizened.

Hoffman was kind, and had the most medical knowledge of all of them. Alek had always been sent straight to him whenever he had a scraped knee.

Bauer closest to Alek's age, only a few years older than he, and was an excellent listener. He was very positive in most everything he said, and had exceptional advice. Alek could talk to him about anything at all.

As soon as he returned to the cabin, Alek filled Bauer in on what he had just heard from Doctor Barlow (Klopp had become restless and went to explore the engine room). He had hoped that saying it out loud would help understand, but it only made things worse.

He walked back over to the window, and said, "Bauer, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, sir!" Bauer replied cheerfully.

"Do you think Deryn's down there? In Tikal?"

Bauer thought for a moment. "Well, sir, looking at all of the evidence we have, the drawing, the invitation, and words from Doctor Barlow, I think it would be safe to assume so."

"Do you think… She's all right?" Alek asked hesitantly.

Bauer didn't answer right away. "Sir, judging from past experiences, I think Miss Sharp is capable of taking care of herself. Everyone is, to a certain degree."

Alek still felt frustrated. "But what if I'm wrong all together? What if she's nowhere near here? I'm going to look like such a fool; her mother will never forgive me."

Thoughtfully, Bauer said, "I get the idea she wants to be found. But if she isn't there, we will look for her someplace else! Aleksandar, never, ever give up. Hang onto hope! If anyone can find her, I know you can," he said as he placed a firm hand on Alek's shoulder.

Alek nodded at him gratefully. "Thank you, Hans," he said. "I'm glad you came along."

Klopp burst in just then. "Hans, Young Master, we're about to land! Captain Dakkar has invited us to watch from the bridge! It is supposed to be quite a sight to see," the man said excitedly.

Bauer and Alek shared a chuckle at the man's enthusiasm, and headed toward the bridge.


	9. Temple of the Jaguar

**Thank you to Jett, C, and Ellie Stone and everyone else that's reviewed! You're awesome and I appreciate your thoughts so much! :D I know I say that almost every chapter, but I only say it so often because I really, truly mean it. I don't think I'd continue any of this if it weren't for you guys! So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. **

**Illeya = Ill-ya**

**Xbalanque = shi-ba-lan-kay**

**Hunahpu = wah-nu-pwuh**

**Themba = Tem-ba**

**Vucub-Caquix = vo-kob-ka-kwish**

**The Temple of the Jaguar is an actual place in Tikal. I'm having so much fun reading and learning about the ancient Mayans! Xbalanque and Hunahpu are from the legends of the Maya Twins. It is an ancient legend of the Mayan people, and the events Cocijo describes are one of the actual stories, except that I took a liberty of assigning them to the Sun/Moon: it was never said who became who. There are more Maya Twins legends; if you liked this, you should look into them! They were written about in a document called the Popol Vuh.**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld. I own nothing!**

**:)**

Deryn had never really meant to get mixed up with the UDSRM in the first place. It had all been a misunderstanding.

While she was studying to become a doctor, a biologist, actually, Dmitri had visited her school. Fancy-boots boffins did that often, looking for exceptional students about to graduate so they could offer them internships. So the day Dmitri had come was just like any other, nothing unusual. Until it had been just he and Deryn in the lab, at least.

She hadn't been feeling well that day.

_"You stayed up almost all night studying. You're pushing yourself too much, Deryn!" Alek had said._

_Wincing with pain from the throbbing headache, between words Deryn said, "I know, I know. But it's my last day in the lab, and if I can just finish my work there I'll only have to take one more test tomorrow and I'll be done! I'm so close to being finished," she said, looking up at him._

_He looked at her for a moment then smiled down at her. "All right," he said as he bent to kiss her on the cheek. "But let's go out tonight; just you and me. We can do whatever you'd like; I just want to spend some time with you. I feel like I've hardly seen you this past month!"_

_She had been terribly busy with school and getting ready for the wedding. And she had to stay in a hotel for the past week, since she had class every day and t was easier than taking the train from Glasgow. She hadn't been spending hardly anytime with Alek, the man she was going to marry in two days! She did miss seeing him, too._

_"Yes, let's," she said._

She now wished she had listened to Alek and had just stayed at the hotel.

Dmitri had been nice at first, very charming. He must have thought out very well what he was going to do.

She had almost finished cleaning up her mess when he'd approached her.

_"Miss Sharp, is it?" he had asked with a shy smile on his face._

_"Aye, it is," Deryn answered, a little ruder than she'd meant. _

_"Oh, it's so nice to meet you!" he'd exclaimed, extending his hand. "Dmitri! I'm a huge admirer of your work, I must say. It's a real honor to meet you!"_

_"I'm sorry, but who are you?"_

_"Oh! Well, I'm the leader of an organization called the United Darwinist Society of Russia and Mexico. I've heard of your fabrications, and I must say, I am intrigued."_

_Doctor Clark entered the room. "Sorry, Deryn; I seem to have forgotten my gradebook! Should be around the desk somewhere," he muttered to himself as he rummaged through the messy desk._

_Dmitri looked annoyed. "Perhaps, Miss Sharp, we could talk somewhere else? I have some interesting information you might like to hear."_

_"I'm sorry; I'm just on my way out. I promised my fiancé I'd meet him tonight."_

_Dmitri smiled. "Of course. Perhaps if I come by tomorrow?"_

_Deryn was getting annoyed. She just wanted to go back to the hotel and get a head start on studying before she would meet Alek for dinner. "Fine, that's fine. You can meet me outside after my test at 1:00."_

_And so he did. He walked her to a small café just down the street so they could talk._

_"How was the test?" he asked._

_"Oh, it was fine. I'm just glad it's over," Deryn answered. Then something flickered out of the corner of her eye, and Deryn turned. Was that Doctor Barlow?_

_Dmitri must have noticed as well, since he grabbed Deryn's elbow and made for the door._

_"Please, Miss Sharp, don't make a scene. I don't want to make this any more difficult than it has to be," he hissed._

_Deryn was confused. "I thought you wanted to talk..?"Something thumped her on the back of the head._

_It was shortly after this that she woke up in a strange room with strange men, and Cocijo._

_"I have decided, Miss Sharp, to make you an offer," Dmitri said, back to her. "One that I think you will find yourself unable to refuse."_

_He had a wicked grin plastered on his face._

Cocijo elbowed her gently in the side. She had been dozing in and out of sleep during one of Dmitri's boring briefings. He always gave them the day visitors would be arriving. They were all a bunch of stuck-up, clever-boots boffins, surely this group would be just the same as the last.

"And at the end," Dmitri said, settling his gaze on Deryn. "We will have Miss Sharp give the tour of the lab."

Dmitri. To say Deryn despised him was an understatement. He was vain, self-absorbed, and evil.

Of course, he hadn't been so bad when things had first started out. He had torn her and Cocijo from their families, of course, making him unforgivably heinous, but he wasn't as mean as he was now. But he had very few moments of kindness.

It was they reached Tikal that he lost it. It was when he started drinking the extract from a strange cactus that he turned.

_Deryn didn't give two pence what he was planned to do with the Project, as long as finishing it got her home. She'd started on it in Africa, where she worked with all sorts of snakes. Dmitri wouldn't tell her what it was for, he would only say, in his annoying accent, "Make me the greatest snake in the world." So she had. Well, she tried, at least. The black mamba was fast; the adder for its poison; the viper for its temper; the python for its enormous size. But with fabrications, you can't just place a few snakes in a cage and expect eggs a little while later. No, the very chains of their life essence had to be pulled apart and replaced with others, then stewed together into an egg that you watched, hoping it came out right._

_The first few times, he had understood. But it was the third time was when he actually hit her._

_The first time it happened, she hit him right back, and hard. Her Da would have been proud. But shortly after was when Dmitri discovered that hurting Cocijo would make her stop. And threatening her family, of course._

_"Don't think I won't do it, Deryn Sharp. "_

_Of course she had assumed he was full of blether until he showed a photograph. A photograph of her house. _

_"I know precisely where your house is, the color roses under the kitchen window, and the number of stones in the walkway. I have someone standing by, Deryn. All I have to do is tell them and all you know will be lost forever. Now stop talking back and get to work."_

_So she became numb. It wasn't like she could feel much anyways. It was so unlike her, she was losing herself. But what choice did she have?_

_She tried. She really, truly did. And every time he hit her (he seemed to take al liking to doing so every time she failed), every threat he made only made her try harder. _

_She missed Alek. He would be appalled at the way she was being treated. She missed the way he looked at her, they way he'd held her hand, his silly laugh, the way he kissed her, his voice; everything. She only wanted to see him again, even if it was just one more time. To make sure he was okay, that he knew that she hadn't left him for the stupid reason she gave. That she really and truly did still love him._

_But no. Not until the Project was finished._

_It was only a few months ago that Deryn, with the aid of Cocijo (she couldn't have done it without him) and a little help from their friend Themba, finally fabricated a satisfactory snake for Dmitri._

_"There! Now can I go home?" she'd asked._

_Dmitri laughed his cold, cruel laugh. "My dear, you've only done half of it."_

And so here she was in Tikal, working on the other half. The idea was to fabricate a quetzal much bigger than it actually was. Why, Deryn had no idea. But she didn't care; she was that much closer to home, to Ma and Jaspert, to Alek. It seemed easy at first, but the quetzal didn't like being in captivity. Cocijo was the only one that could actually get close enough to capture one, and once he brought it back to the lab, it would refuse to eat or drink and die. It wanted to be free. Just like Deryn.

But they were close this time. Cocijo had caught a small one, probably just a baby, who managed to stay alive. Its life chains she'd combined eagles and condors and ostriches and vultures. There had been a few failed attempts, one of which she named Amidamaru and kept. Amidamaru was the first bird fabrication that successfully survived in Tikal. He had condor, eagle, and vulture parts in him, but he looked more like an eagle than anything, which is why Dmitri didn't want him. _"The quetzal! It needs more quetzal!" he would say._ He was huge, too: his wingspan extended almost twelve feet! He was magnificent, but not what Dmitri was looking for. It had taken some time, but Deryn managed to wrangle him and was able to take him flying. She had even attached a large, saddle-sort of apparatus to his back so she and Cocijo could sit comfortably. He was faster than any of the airships they had, and you could feel the wind when you rode him. Deryn loved it.

She and Cocijo had been working diligently that morning when Dmitri's assistant, Illeya, fetched then for the briefing. He was only a boy, hardly any older than Cocijo, but he was mean and heartless. In a way, Deryn pitied him. He probably had a family, too, that he wanted to get back to just as much as she and Cocijo, but he was unlucky enough to have to be Dmitri's assistant. The way he always spoke to her and Coicjo, like he was superior, always irritated Deryn. But any word that she'd given him any trouble would get straight back to Dmitri, which did not lead to good things.

"Aye," she answered, trying to be polite. "We'll be there in a squick."

She and Cocijo began arbitrarily putting things away until Illeya was gone.

"Here!" she whispered as she tossed him two small glass vials. "We'll use these tonight!"

The boy nodded as he wrapped them in cloth and stuck him in his satchel.

She and Cocijo had been stealing vials to gather extract from the mysterious black orchid. It was a rare, beautiful plant, growing only in particularly tricky-to-reach places, but if you managed to find it and extract from its stem, the liquid you extracted became pure life essence, once heated to a certain temperature. That meant that if someone, dead as a doornail, managed to get some into their system, they'd be brought back to this world. But if someone only mostly dead took it, it would over start their heart and kill them completely. It had very similar makeup to adrenaline in its rawest form. At least, this was what Themba had told them.

Themba was a great doctor Deryn had met in Africa. Most everyone feared him; even Dmitri referred to him as the Necromancer, but he was really a brilliant medic. And he didn't like Dmitri either, which was a good sign. She and Cocijo would often try to sneak out and visit him, asking for advice with the Project. He had much to offer, and it was thanks to him that they had actually managed to catch a black mamba. As soon as he found out Deryn was going to Central America, he asked her to collect him as many samples of the black orchid as possible. She and Cocijo had been hesitant at first, but when Themba promised to help them once they returned to Africa, they readily agreed. Plus, she figured she owed him for all his help with the snakes.

They'd only managed to collect all of two samples so far. The black orchid bloomed only in the moonlight, and it was hard to sneak out at night, since Dmitri posted guards all around the perimeter (barking revolutionaries). It wasn't impossible to find in the daylight, but hard to find without the bloom. But they'd managed twice so far, and had planned on going out again tonight. They only had two more days in Tikal if everything went right, and tonight would be their last chance.

Once they'd finished collecting their things, Deryn arranged the hay around the eggs once more. "I hope this works," she said softly and closed the lid to the crate.

And she and Cocijo walked down the cool hall. They were in a large temple, the Temple of the Jaguar to be exact. The UDSRM had renovated it when they first arrived, adding labs and sleeping quarters and a kitchen and such. There was even a large dining room and theater, which was used for briefings such as this. This upset the revolutionaries greatly. Deryn could count on them trying to sneak in and destroy the people that had ruined their ancient and holy temple at least once a week. She did understand just how they felt, and she did feel bad for them. But she needed to get out of this place alive.

"And remember, once again," Dmitri repeated with a smile. "The boffins need not know the specifics of the Project."

Bother Dmitri. If he was inviting all of these people to get their money, he should at least tell them what it's for.

"Come on, Cocijo," Deryn said. "I'd like to sketch a little bit, if that's all right." Really, she just wanted to get outside.

Cocijo looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Let me get my bow and quiver," he said, running off towards his room.

When he returned, they headed to the cloud forest and into the trees. The cloud forest was really more of a jungle covered in mist. They had built small platforms above the mist, about four feet wide and three feet long, making it easier to hop from one to another. Deryn reckoned she and Cocijo looked a bit like monkeys, jumping about from tree to tree, but she rather enjoyed the feeling, being above the clouds. They often did this, going out to try to find and sketch quetzals when really they were trying to scheme or talk about their lives before they were taken.

"I want to talk to you," Deryn said, once they'd settled on a branch and were waiting for a quetzal to land.

Cocijo looked uneasy. "About what, if I may ask?"

"About what you barking told me two nights ago!" she exclaimed. "About being a _king!_"

Cocijo looked around alarmed. "Please, don't say that so loudly!" he hissed. "I don't think anyone knows."

A monkey howled in the distance.

"I don't understand. Why don't you tell? Don't your people need you?"

He shook his head. "My father sent me away in the first place because of them," he began. "I don't think they know I exist. And if they found out, well you saw what they did to my father!"

"But you can't run away from your destiny!"

"You're right," he said as he sat down next to her. "But I don't think the time is right. In my family, we don't just move on to the next king when the previous has died, as your culture does. "

Deryn nodded. She didn't really understand the reasoning, but she could see well enough that Cocijo's mind wasn't going to be changed. "All right. So, how will you know when the time is right?"

"I'm not sure. But there is a legend among my people that says that the jaguar, or _b'alam_ in my language, will guide the appointed one to the throne. The jaguar can cross between two worlds, that of the living and the dead, day and night. He is the powerful protector of royal households. The Two Maya Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were sent away by their father when they were very young because he feared for their safety. Shortly after, their father was killed by the bird demon Vucub-Caquix. The jaguar led Xbalanque into the underworld where he and Hunahpu destroyed the demon and avenged their father and flew into the sky, where Xbalanque became the moon and Hunahpu, the sun."

"That sounds a bit like you, the part about being sent away, not about the twins or the sun, that is."

He thought for a moment, then said softly, "Yes, I suppose it does. Deryn, did I ever tell you why my father sent me to England?"

She shook her head no.

"When I was born, I had a twin also. But he died on the way to England. No one ever told me what happened, but I think someone killed him with the thought of destroying the next ruler of the Mayans."

"So, they didn't know about you?"

"I don't think so. We were in separate places on the ship. I was in the cargo hold with my nurse, and he was on the deck. As soon as we arrived in England she pretended to be too poor to care for me so she left me with the family. So this is why I would appreciate your discretion when speaking about my secret."

She nodded. That made sense.

"Where did you go in England?"

"A place called Oxford. The family I was staying with, the father was a teacher there. And those weren't my sisters, by the way. They were his children."

"Cocijo, that's where I went to school! What was the teacher's name?"

"Mr. Clark, I believe."

She blinked. The _same _Mr. Clark that was in the room during Dmitri's and her conversation?

"That's odd," was all she managed to say.

"What is it?"

"He was my teacher. He was there, in the lab, when I first met Dmitri."

They both looked at each other.

"That monster," Deryn said, anger rising. "He killed them because he saw me! That barking-"

Cocijo looked off, saddened. "But then why would he spare me? Those girls were the kindest; most beautiful I've ever met."

While it was obvious that brown-eyed, naturally tanned Coicjo didn't belong with the red-headed, Irish Clark family, Dmitri couldn't know. There was no way.

Cocijo laughed dryly. "I wish I wasn't who I am sometimes."

"Aye, me, too." Deryn said as she placed her hand over his reassuringly. "But everything happens for a reason."

She remembered when she first met Alek, who was not technically royal, who was trying to do everything in his power to become Emperor, and here was Cocijo, and actual king, trying to do the opposite!

"Deryn... Thank you for keeping me secret, and for being my friend. I'm really glad I know you."

She smiled. "Aye, and the same to you."

It certainly was not the day for quetzals. Not that they really needed one to sketch anyways. They'd already caught one, and even if they got another, there wouldn't be time to fabricate it and it would more than likely die on the way back to Africa.

"How do you say 'sun' in your language?" she asked, partially out of bordeom, partially out curiosity. Sometimes, she would teach Cocijo Gaelic words and he would teach her Mayan ones. They would go back and forth until they ran out of words.

"K'in," he answered. "In yours?"

"Grian." She said. "Water?"

"Ha'."

"Uisce. Sky?"

"Chan."

"Spéir. Fire?"

Cocijo broke the rhythm. "K'ak'. Speaking of sky, look." he said as he pointed up.

Up above them was a white, magnificent airship coming in for landing.

Deryn was speechless. Not since the _Leviathan _had she seen something so barking _huge_!

"It looks like a monster," Cocijo said breathlessly.

It had a long, white body and point coming out from its nose.

"I think it's a narwhal," she answered. Upon seeing the confused expression on his face, she added, "It's a sort of whale. I don't think you have them here."

"But whales are in the ocean?"

"Oh! It's just an airship! It's made to _look_ like a narwhal, with narwhal life chains and such, but it's not _actually_a whale. There are people inside."

Cocijo looked disturbed.

"It's still living and breathing and such, but it's just not a whale. This isn't making any sense is it?" She had forgotten that though he had spent a lot of time in Darwinist England, Cocijo and the Mayans didn't make as elaborate fabs as them.

"No, but it's all right," he said, still looking up as the great airbeast flew past them. "I think it's landing. Shall we take a closer look?"

She looked at him curiously. Cocijo had never, not once showed such an interest in airships. She wasn't in the mood to deal with any boffins if she didn't have to.

"No, I'm all right.. You can go ahead if you want. I'm going to wait out for quetzals."

"Oh, I'll stay, too! I was just wondering," Cocijo said, looking slightly disappointed. "Dmitri will probably bring them around soon anyways."

Deryn chose to ignore his strange behavior and tossed him an avocado from her bag.

"Hungry?"


	10. Temple of the Jaguar II

**It's my birthday, so I especially hope you enjoy these next chapters! :) I'm sorry they took longer than usual!**

**Thank you, kind people who reviewed! As I've said before, I love to hear what you think of my writing! And you guys encourage me and keep me going. If you're reading but haven't reviewed yet and think I need to polish something, let me know!**

**C: I'm so pleased to hear from you again! As far as I know, the words I've been using are just general Mayan, not from a specific tribe. Thank you for the quetzal idea, I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said anything! :)**

**Barking Lizards: Thank you so much! I'm so, so happy you're enjoying this so far! Please let me know what you think of the next few chapters!**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld.**

**:)**

Watching the _Gondolin_ land from the horn had proven to be less exciting than Klopp had led Alek and Bauer to believe. When they'd arrived at the bridge, Captain Dakkar said wouldn't touch the ground for at least another half hour. Not wanting to risk his thoughts trailing back to what they'd been before, the confusion of the entire situation, Alek had decided to stay in the horn. Bovril seemed to be especially enjoying the view.

He was an eccentric man, the captain. Also from India, like Haamir, he was very, very particular about things. He was kind by all means, but had strange habits. For instance, he refused to use more than one utensil at any of his meals. At dinner, he refused to use anything other than his knife. At lunch, it was the spoon. And at breakfast, all he had left was the fork, so that was all he used. If he didn't get his way, he made quite a fuss about it. Alek had found it almost instantly tiresome, but Aurielo thought it was very amusing and humored him.

As they were losing altitude, they passed over a large desert plain, Alek noticed people on the ground, fighting each other. They were dressed strangely, without shirts and only with a bit of cloth around their waists. Some of them were wearing animal skins, and were fighting with spears and shields. It looked like something from one of Alek's old history books.

Benjamin Harker noticed him staring out the window, and commented, "Those are the Mayans, or what's left of them."

"Why are they fighting? Is there some sort of civil war going on?" Alek asked.

Ben shook his head. "No, there is no war. Not yet, at least. They fight because their king is dead. A rebel tribe supposedly killed him."

"But why would they do that, kill their king and then fight about it?"

Ben shook his head. "It seems pointless, I know. I don't know why. The Mayans have had a very difficult time adapting to modern society. Perhaps that has something to do with it."

Alek watched as they flew over the people, and couldn't help but think of Vienna, the way the revolutionaries had been acting before he left. What if they had done this to him?

They soon passed over the people and were above a jungle. Alek could see some sort of towers with rounded roofs peeking over treetops. As they got closer and closer, he noticed that they weren't just towers but actually enormous buildings, temples by the looks of them.

They stopped flying, quite low to the ground now, and began to sink into a clearing in the jungle. As they approached the ground, he eagerly looked out the window for any sign of Deryn. There were only shirtless, dark-haired men, though, much to Alek's dismay. Definitely not Deryn.

"Ladies and gentleman," Captain Dakkar announced as he stepped away from the controls. "Welcome to Tikal."

"Tikal," Bovril repeated from Alek's shoulder.

It felt get to be on solid ground again.

They appeared to have landed right in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by lush green trees and bright flowers. The sounds of strange birds and other creatures echoed.

When they exited the ship, they were greeted by a very tall, very thin man wearing a smart, black suit. Beside him was a boy, probably no older than fifteen, dressed almost identically. The man had an unsteady look in his eye, but that soon turned to a twinkle as he approached them.

"Greetings, my lords and ladies! It is my greatest pleasure to welcome to the Temple of the Jaguar!" he said in a distinctly Russian accent. As he said this, he bowed and moved to the side so everyone could see the building fifty or so feet away.

It was a temple, huge and stone. The bottom of it was large and flat, and on top of that was another layer of stone, slightly smaller than the one it was sitting on. This pattern continued upwards to the very top, similar to the rounded ones Alek had seen above the treetops, where there was an entryway inside, connected to the ground by a staircase. It reminded Alek of a great, big wedding cake. Regardless, it was monstrously huge.

Aurielo then came out of the ship robustly, and strolled up to Dmitri. "My friend!" he exclaimed in Italian. He embraced Dmitri in what appeared to be a painfully tight hug, who returned his greeting in a calmer manner.

"It is good to see you, my friend," Dmitri said, extending his hand, not wanting to risk another bone-crushing hug. "Thank you for coming."

Aurielo took it and shook it with vigor, and did the same to the boy that had come out with Dmitri. He was small, probably no older than fourteen. He had reddish-brown hair, and dark eyes. He was very pale, and had a sour expression on his face.

"Please, this way," Dmitri said as the motioned towards the stairs. He snapped a few, quick commands in a language that sounded almost (but not quite) like Spanish to the men that had helped them land. "Please, my men will be happy to help you bring any necessities you need inside, but let me remind you that due to the recent uprising, I must insist that you sleep on the _Gondolin, _for your own safety of course."

"Yes, of course!" Aurielo agreed.

_So the rebels aren't that far after all,_ Alek thought.

Klopp appeared beside Alek and whistled. Bovril echoed the sound.

"This is quite the place, isn't it, sir?" Klopp said to Alek.

He nodded as he looked around. "Yes, it is." He felt a little overwhelmed.

Bauer noticed the look on Alek's face and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, sir. If she's here, we will find her." He gave him a reassuring smile as they followed Dmitri to the temple.

The inside of the Temple had an eerie, ancient feeling to it. It was strange-looking inside, as if old had been melded with new unsuccessfully. The ceiling was probably fifty feet high, where a large, obviously not ancient chandelier hung over a table laden with exotic-looking delicacies. It looked as though a lot of things had been added.

Once inside, several natives began passing out small glasses of what appeared to be their version of hot chocolate. It was sweet, and had a slight spicy flavor to it.

The boffins that had come on the _Gondolin _gravitated towards those that worked for the UDSRM, and their chatter had created a low lull. Alek wandered around with Bovril on his shoulder, examining the tapestries on the wall. It showed images of people dancing and celebrating. Doctor Barlow sidled up beside him.

"That is the Legend of the Jaguar King, I believe," she said.

Further down, it depicted a king, siting on his thone. And then it showed a jaguar sitting on his table, easting, and, the king decapitated on the floor.

"It is rather grotesque," Alek said softly.

"Oh, the Mayans have never been ones for modesty! They say that when a jaguar eats from the king's table, it is an omen that great things are bound to happen."

All of the sudden, a voice boomed from behind them, "Nora!" It was Dmitri. He was standing behind Doctor Barlow, arms extended in proclamation.

She smiled as she took one of his hands. "Dmitri. How nice it is to see you again!"

He kissed her hand politely, and then turned to Alek. "And this must be Prince Aleksandar. A great honor it is to have you here, Your Highness."

Alek stiffened. From what he had heard about Dmitri, he didn't mind having him refer to him as his superior.

"Thank you very much for having me. I was.. delighted to receive your invitation," he said.

A look of question flashed in Dmitri's eyes, but quickly went away as he covered it with a smile.

"Of course. It is a great honor to have the ruler of a Clanker nation with us, isn't it, Nora?" he said as he turned to Doctor Barlow.

She smiled politely. "Indeed, it is."

"Now, would either of you be interested in touring our facilities in the forest? We have a marvelous skywalk that goes above the cloud forest I'm anxious to show you."

Doctor Barlow shook her head. "No, thank you, Dmitri. As exciting as I'm sure it is, I am positively exhausted from our journey."

He nodded. "Of course. My assistant Illeya will be here to answer any questions you might have. Prince Aleksandar, might I be able to interest you?"

Alek was going to decline as Doctor Barlow had, but then remembered the drawing. Deryn must have done it outside, so perhaps she was there right now; plus, he hadn't seen her in here with the other UDSRM boffins. He had a better chance of finding her there than in here mixed with the cluster of scientists and dignitaries.

"Yes," he nodded. "I would like that, thank you, Dmitri."

Apparently most of the ship had been too tired from journeying to come along, for it was just Alek and a few French scientists that were up to venturing led them to the edge of the forest, and up a wooden stair case. The tree trunks were all enormous; bigger than Alek had ever seen. As they went up, he noticed there were more landings and bridges connecting them, creating an entire network. The platform they stepped onto was covered in moss; it was very soft. Fabricated wood underneath, most likely. The ascent to the treetops was foggy, but it cleared slightly once they reached the top.

Bovril mumbled something from inside Alek's jacket and poked its head out to examine the surroundings. The loris looked around with wide, observant eyes. They were almost level with the treetops. It was clever, that way they didn't have to walk on the ground.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Skywalk. We have just finished it, and I do hope you will enjoy it. It was created for both safety and convenience, as you will soon see," Dmitri announced, as he led them on.

And so they walked, going from a large platform bolted to a tree to a bridge to another platform. They continued on like this for a few minutes, stopping every once in a while to observe an animal or some sight. Every corner they turned, he had hoped to see Deryn, but with no such luck.

They came to a much larger platform, and from out of nowhere jumped a large cat. It had small ears and spots all over its yellow fur, and a great, long tail. Everyone in the group stopped suddenly, unsure of what to do with a wild animal so close to them.

It began to growl and pace, anxious from the peoples' presence. And then a boy, who was obviously a native, jumped down from a tree into the middle of the clearing. Gasps left from the crowd, a few cried, "No! Get back!"

Dmitri said calmly, "Ladies and gentleman, I assure you, this jaguar is perfectly wild, but the boy is perfectly safe."

And with that, the boy fell down to one knee, almost bowing to the creature. The creature stared at him, the crowd held its breath; Alek felt nervous. It moved closer and pawed at him, surely to maul the poor child, but the boy caught its paw is his hand. The creature retaliated with the free foot and soon had the boy pinned underneath it. The boy rolled over onto his side bringing the cat with him; they weren't fighting, they were _playing_.

"Cocijo is of the ancient Mayan people, and is highly proficient in the ways of all animals, but especially the cats of this forest." Dmitri said with a proud grin.

The crowd applauded softly. Dmitri turned to the boy and snapped off a few words in the strange Spanish-sounding language, and Cocijo jumped back into the trees, and the cat followed suit. He jumped onto what appeared to be another platform, similar to the one Alek was standing on, but smaller and higher up. And just like that, they were gone.

"Moving on," Dmitri said as he led the people over more bridges. It was a little disconcerting that he could see what was below him, but Alek was glad. He'd never really enjoyed heights anyways. The crossed more bridges, Dmitri telling them all about the creatures he and his team studied. The French scientists were entranced: they had come here for the purpose of learning about this place, so this was all probably very fascinating to them. Alek's mind was elsewhere: he could care less about the rare Mantled Howler Monkey; he wanted to find Deryn. Bovril, however, was enjoying hearing new sounds to imitate.

They moved once again, this time crossing a bridge that took them to a sunnier clearing. And just beyond that was a very large branch, with a very large bird that looked exactly like the quetzal sitting upon it. _This must be where Deryn sketched it!_ he thought to himself.

"Ah, you are in luck, my friends!" Dmitri said, just loud enough for them to hear. "This is the quetzal, the rare bird we have been working with these past few months in Tikal!"

It was a very pretty bird, with long, colorful feathers jutting from its bottom, just as Deryn had drawn it. It had appeared not to notice it was being watched.

As he moved closer to get a better look, Alek saw her.


	11. Tikal

Sitting on another branch just behind the quetzal, was Deryn Sharp. Alek's breath caught in his throat. She was leaning against a tree, one knee up holding her sketchpad. She was sketching fervently, a look of concentrated determination on her face. Her hair had grown almost down to her waist, and had been lightened by the sun. The sun had the opposite effect on her skin: she was tanner now, making her bright blue eyes all the brighter. She was wearing tan, linen pants, the ankles rolled up above her bare feet, and a simple, white button down shirt, one sleeve rolled up, the other down. She was perfectly ragamuffin-like, and perfectly beautiful.

Cocijo was standing a few feet away from her on another branch, not paying any mind to the visitors. He had a bow in his hands, with a quiver of arrows on his back. He was scanning the area around them, and locked eyes on Alek. He gave him a strange look, as if he was trying to pinpoint him. Alek had never seen him in his life, aside from a few moments ago. He didn't understand why he would look at him like that, unless, perhaps, Deryn had told him about Alek?

"Mister Sharp," Bovril said out loud.

She looked up then back down, and up again. Her eyes locked on Alek in a moment. She froze, surprised look on her face, pencil in mid-line. The quetzal flew off.

Dmitri broke his concentration, "Ah, yes! Here we have Dr. Deryn Sharp! She is the boffin in charge of the Project, and is making strides with it! Aren't you, Deryn?"

She broke her gaze from Alek after a moment and nodded.

"In fact, ladies and gentleman, we have a bit of a surprise for you! If everything goes according to plan, the fabrication Deryn has created is scheduled to hatch while you are visiting, meaning you will be the first in the world to witness it!"

A few scientists gasped and smiled with excitement.

He turned back to Deryn. "Doctor Sharp, please meet us back at the lab to explain your experiments."

She nodded again and said in a soft voice, "Aye, I'll be there."

"Very good. Now, ladies and gentleman, if you'll just follow me this way..." Dmitri continued, but Alek hadn't heard a word of it. He wanted to call up to Deryn, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. She was hurriedly gathering her things and haphazardly stuffing them into a pack, then jumped to the branch in front of her. She did so to the next branch, and the next, as Cocijo followed her. They did so at a rapid pace, running on the platforms in the treetops above them. Alek could feel water drop on him from the tree above, where they stepped. And just like that, she was gone.

Inwardly cursing himself for not saying something, Alek couldn't focus on the rest of the outing. He didn't care about the two-headed fabricated howler monkey the UDSRM had successfully adapted into the wild, or even about the family of rare coatis they'd seen at a distance. He needed to get to that lab and talk to Deryn.

"Hold up just a minute," Deryn ordered.

The boy looked as though he toyed with the idea of just continuing running, but he knew better. "Yes?" he said, slowly turning around, afraid to meet her icy glare.

"Tell me right now."

"Tell you what?" he said, trying to act pleasant.

"You know what! You started acting strange ever since that airship landed, and when you get back from the ocelot act, who should be following but Alek!"

Cocijo winced. Deryn had once told him that her father had frequently used the expression "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", which he did not understand at all. But now he did, fully.

"Cocijo! I can't believe you!"

"Deryn, please listen to me. You said yourself that Alek would help us. You said he was a valuable ally! I don't understand why you are angry with me. You told me you would be happy to see him!"

"I'm _angry_ because you went behind my sodding back! This isn't a safe place, and I didn't want to drag Alek down here!"

Cocijo paused. "You're right, it is dangerous here, and I am sorry I didn't tell you. But Deryn, if we don't do this now, we may never have the chance again!"

She took a breath. "Yes, I suppose you're right. It's just a little hard, I guess. I didn't think I was ready to see him again, but I'll have to be now, right?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Deryn, it's going to be all right. He wouldn't have come if he didn't want to."

She nodded. "How did you get him to come, anyways?"

"I stole one of your drawings, and used the Gaelic you've taught me," he said nonchalantly.

She punched him lightly in the arm and laughed, "You sneaky little beak! I was wondering where that drawing went. It was one of my best, you know."

He rubbed the spot she punched. "I know, and I'm sorry I took it. But I'm sure it's safe now. I sent it to your house-"

A strange feeling crept up her stomach. "My house? But Alek wasn't supposed to be in touch with my family… How did he know? Surely he must have gotten invited by Dmitri, like everyone else?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps he knew the man that owns the ship, Aurielo, is it?"

She nodded. "Aye, Aurielo. He's very nice. But still, that is strange that Alek should end up down here with a bunch of Darwinists, being a Clanker and all."

He looked at her. "Deryn, let's not worry about that now. The important thing is that he's here, and obviously wants to be if he's with a bunch of Darwinists."

She shrugged off the strange feeling and nodded. "Right. How was the ocelot act, by the way?"

"It was good. Yakul did very well. Dmitri told them it was a jaguar again."

"So what? As long as they believe it, who cares?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It gives me a bad feeling when he lies about it, about the jaguar being gone."

Ever since the UDSRM arrived in Tikal, not a jaguar had been seen. They had either all run off, or died.

"It will be all right," Deryn said. "Now, let's get back to the lab, quick! And don't think you're getting out of this; you're going to explain to Alek."

He nodded. "All right, I will."


	12. Tikal II

**Hello, everyone! Thank you Barking Spiders, for your reviews and thoughts! They are both highly valued and appreciated! :)**

_Calm. Down. _

_Breathe!_ Deryn thought to herself.

She had rushed back her room to change into her white jacket and gotten to the lab just as the expected boffins were filing in. _A lot_ of boffins. This wasn't just a crowd of any boffins, though. These were more than just scientists; Dmitri had pulled out all the stops and invited dignitaries and several other influential persons of importance. They must have been lower on finances that they'd thought. Deryn had even seen Doctor _barking_ Barlow come in through the door at the last second, along with Alek and Bauer and Klopp! And was that Newkirk, too? Was the entire crew of the _Leviathan_ here?

She finished her presentation, and she did it well. It was rehearsed, the same thing she said to all the others that came to visit.

She cleared her throat and said, "D-Does anyone have any questions?"

Doctor Barlow's hand immediately shot up. _Typical_, Deryn thought silently.

"Yes?"

She smiled at Deryn. "Yes, hello, Doctor Sharp! Wonderful presentation. I have just one question about the Project."

Deryn inwardly made a sound of dread. Dmitri had specifically instructed her not to say anything specific about the Project, to keep the boffins guessing. _People like being surprised!_ he argued. Deryn did not agree, people would most definitely not like _this _surprise at all and wouldn't sponsor anyone that had anything to do with it. But when Dmitri brought to her attention that Alek was here, and indeed much easier for him to reach, she kept silent. Why was Alek here anyway? Or rather, why had Dmitri allowed him to come? The man had had a strong hatred for Clankers.

"Yes?" Deryn answered.

Doctor Barlow continued. "It seems that you have done quite well fabricating the life threads of both the various kinds of snakes and birds, but my question is: what exactly is the finished outcome to be?"

This was the question at least one boffin every tour asked. Deryn didn't like to lie, but Illeya's grating gaze forced her to. Dmitri had gone off somewhere, leaving him in his stead.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say until it's hatched. In case something doesn't come out properly."

She had expected that to discourage the woman with this comment, but she persisted.

"Ah, so it's a military secret, then?" she said, a glint in her eyes.

So _that's _why she was here. Probably sent by the Zoological Society to see if it was a threat. That might explain why she wasn't really acknowledging that she knew Deryn personally, too.

"I'm afraid I can't answer either way, but we do think it's close to hatching now, and may even hatch before you leave tomorrow evening, so hopefully, you all will be able to see."

Doctor Barlow conceded, nodding respectfully.

"If that's all, I believe Dmitri is waiting upstairs! Thank you, everyone, and enjoy the rest of your time here," Deryn said mechanically.

The boffins slowly left, emptying the room until everyone but Alek had left. He was standing near the door, looking uneasy. Something moved in his jacket, and Bovril popped out of his coat, gleefully exclaiming, "_Mr. _Sharp!" as it threw itself into Deryn's chest.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Bov! I've missed you, too," she said as the beastie wiggled around happily in her arms.

She petted Bovril and looked up at Alek. His eyes looked into hers for what seemed like an eternity. The tension was so thick, his expression unreadable, Deryn wasn't sure if he was angry or not. Of course, he had a perfect right to be. She left him at what must have seemed like the drop of a hat, he probably had no idea why. It was only right to tell him.

She decided to break the silence.

"Hello, Alek," she said softly.

"Hello, Deryn," he said just above a whisper.

She wasn't sure what to say next.

_Maybe he's not angry after all_.

Alek cleared his throat. "Deryn, I came here to tell you something. It's about your mother…"

Her heart sank. Had Dmitri broken his promise?

"What? What happened to her?" she asked anxiously.

"…She's very sick."

Despite the awful nature of the news, Deryn felt relieved. At least her family was safe from him, for now.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, perhaps a bit too directly.

He looked insulted. "She asked me to bring you back home, as her _dying wish_. She's _dying_, Deryn. Your mother."

"I'm sorry, Alek. I can't go just y-"

Before she could finish, he hissed, "Why?"

_Oh, never mind._

He looked exasperated.

"Alek, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say-"

"You could explain," he snapped.

Deryn heard a clutter in the hall, poked her head out to see Illeya carrying a bunch of trays, slowly than necessary to the upstairs. He was spying, more than likely under Dmitri's orders. Thankfully for her, he was a very conspicuous spy.

She switched to German, hoping that skulking rat in the hall wouldn't understand. "Not here," she whispered.

He moved to block her path. "Yes, here, right now! You leave me, your entire family without a moment's notice. I have waited two years to find you, Deryn, and I am not letting you slip away again!"

She looked at him. He was upset, and rightfully so. He was correct in every way to be angry with her for all she had done, but she couldn't tell him now! She couldn't risk Dmitri finding out, not when she was so close to be free from all of this. She was so, so terribly selfish.

Pleading eyes, she said, "Please, Alek! Just wait until tonight. I'll explain everything, I promise."

He crossed his arms and said, "You're not going to leave again?" He delivered it with such sarcasm Deryn was taken aback and slightly disturbed at how similar he sounded to Count Volger. The Count himself would be beaming with pride.

She had tried to maintain her placidity; she really did, but failed. "Alek!," raising her voice now, "Don't you dare think for one minute that I came here on my own idea! Do you think I actually _wanted_ to leave my family, to leave you? You've got it all wrong if you do." She pointed a warning finger in his face as he moved back slightly.

Bovril made a nervous sound. "And don't you assume for one barking minute that I forgot about you! There wan'ts a day that went by that I didn't wish I could be with you." She paused when she heard more footsteps and regained her composure. "Please, Alek. I can explain everything to you tonight, I promise I will."

He looked into her eyes. She was truthful. "All right. I will," he conceded.

"Good. Does your room have a window?"

He nodded.

"All right. Wait for me outside of it the moment the sun starts to set. Don't be late, or it won't work!"

He nodded again, calmer now.

"Right," she said, handing the disconcerted loris to him and heading for the door. "See you then."

Deryn huffed down the hall towards her room. She passed the monkeys, who seemed unusually agitated. It wasn't just the argument with Alek that had upset her; he had every right to be angry with her. It was her mother. Probably sick with worry about _her_. She felt wretched.

She noted to herself to remember to lock her door, for it was unlocked. She shrugged it off and she threw open the door to reveal Dmitri, sitting at her desk. She jumped a little in surprise. Only once had he invaded her private room, when he was drunk. He had barged in while she was sleeping and told her all about his miserable life when he lived in Siberia. Deryn had found most of it extremely irritating and tried to send him back to his own room, but he turned hysterical and refused. She had to get Cocijo in the end, who had to get Illeya to calm the man down and coax him back to his own room.

"Miss Sharp, do you really think my Illeya is so uneducated that he doesn't understand German?"

She didn't say anything.

Dmitri stood, he was rather a tall man, and slapped her hard across the face.

"You heinous, foolish girl! How dare you think you would be able to share our secrets with _him_ and get away with it!"

He stumbled a bit.

"You've been drinking," Deryn said, touching her throbbing cheek.

"Shut up," he barked, shoving her to the ground roughly and hitting her once again. "You will not be speaking with him tonight, Deryn. You are not to communicate with him for the rest of the time here, or in Africa. Understood?"

She nodded obediently.

"Excellent," he said, collecting himself. He flashed a charming smile at her as he left, as if they'd just had a pleasant conversation about the weather. "We'll leaving for Africa tomorrow evening, so it might be prudent to start packing now."

As soon as the door was closed, Deryn grabbed her bag and began stuffing her things inside. Her sketch of Alek, the photo of her family, the empty vials she'd swiped from the lab. Her life had been reduced to taking orders to some drunk whose attic was clearly cracked. Perhaps her newfound courage had come from seeing Alek, or maybe it came from hearing about her mother. Either way, Deryn Sharp would not be bullied any longer. She had had enough of Dmitri, Project finished or not. Her family needed her, and she was going home with Alek.


	13. Plans

**Hello, friends! :)**

**I want to quickly point out that the forest/jungle is supposed to be something called a cloud forest, but it's really just like a jungle. Look them up sometime; they're really pretty. I realize I've been switching back between the two words, so I think I'm going to stick to "jungle" to prevent any confusion! :)**

**Barking Lizards: Thank you for your thoughts! I'm not going to say anything specific, but I promise all will be revealed! As far as chapters go… Originally, I was aiming to keep it under twenty, so I'm going to try for that. I plan on wrapping this up once I'm at that point, and continuing the story in a separate entry. It will be the same story, just under a different name, since it will take place in a different location! The final ending and such will be in that one. I hope all of that makes sense. Thanks again for your review! :)**

**Jett: Thank you so much for pointing out my embarrassing mistake! I appreciate it. And thanks for reviewing! That is so funny you mention the scene from Moulin Rouge!, because that's what I was thinking of when I wrote it. I toyed with the idea of including that, but decided against it because of another idea I have. That's all I'm going to say for now. ;)**

**Jibblitmuffins3675: You're awesome! Thank you so much! **

**SecretKeeper1095: Yay! Thank you for reviewing! :D I love hearing from you!**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing.**

That evening, Alek had managed to sneak away just before dinner, while Captain Dakkar unknowingly provided the perfect distraction.

The man was apparently mortally afraid of ice cubes (he had a crippling fear of choking on them), so when he was given a glass of water that had a few innocently floating in it, he complained loudly and created quite the scene. Several people had rushed by his side to try to calm him while Alek slipped away unnoticed. He had explained to Bauer and Klopp where he was going, in the event that something went awry, but other than that, (hopefully) no one else knew.

He thought of his argument with Deryn while he was waiting by his window. He shouldn't have been so unkind to her, but he certainly deserved an explanation. But this wasn't about him; he needed to stay focused on his reason for coming here: her mother. Deryn was acting strange; she seemed almost alleviated when he told her Ma was sick and dying. He was puzzled by her behavior. It was a terrible thing to think, that she would be glad her mother was on her deathbed; there simply had to be another explanation.

The sky was just starting to turn deep orange when he opened his window to see if she was there yet. He dropped to the ground close below noiselessly, waiting for Deryn. There was a handful of men that did not look Mayan standing at the bottom of the temple steps. They were equipped each with a shield and spear, apparently guards of some sort.

A small figure, crouched down by the edge of the jungle approached him stealthily. It was wearing a great white furry sort of hood that went down to its back with a red clay mask blocking the person's face. It looked like one of the people Alek had seen fighting when the _Gondolin_ was landing, but the pale arms and legs showed that it was clearly Deryn.

"Get down, you ninny!" came her voice from behind the clay mask as she motioned him to come to her.

He obediently crouched down and scooted towards her.

"Nice disguise," he whispered once he'd reached the jungle. "What exactly are you supposed to be?"

"Stole this from a rebel a few weeks ago. They're here all the time sneaking about, trying to avenge themselves; better to have them guards think that than to wonder what one of the doctors is doing out after-hours," she said in a low voice as she led him deeper into the forest.

Alek was confused by this statement, but ran to keep up with Deryn as she led him quickly into the jungle and up the steps to the Skywalk.

She leapt up onto a platform effortlessly, onto one Alek had seen her and Cocijo running on earlier that day, and extended her hand down to Alek.

He hesitated at first, wondering if she could really lift him.

"Oh, come on! I've been doing this for ages! I can lift you fine."

And she was right. He landed on the platform with a soft _thud_, and stood up. They were even higher now, practically in the tops of the trees. It was dizzying.

"Just take a moment to get your bearings!" she whispered. "I don't want you to fall."

She removed the disguise, hair ruffled underneath.

"Right," she said, sitting down crossed-legged. "So, perhaps you ought to sit back down. It's a long story."

Deryn sat before Alek, twiddling her thumbs.

"Deryn…" Alek said softly, trying to take a kinder approach than before. "Just tell me."

"Right," she said. "My ma, though, is she… all right?"

"I don't know, to be honest. She didn't look well when I last saw her-"

"Saw her? When did you see her?"

Alek had forgotten how Deryn had forbid him from contacting her family. But lying about it wasn't going to do any good.

"Jaspert wrote to me.."

"He did? Why?" she asked as she beckoned for Bovril, who had just emerged out of Alek's coat.

At least she didn't seem bothered by it.

"The drawing you sent him, he and your mother thought it was a sign that you were in trouble."

"Oh, I didn't send him that. Cocijo did."

"That's the boy you were with earlier, when I first saw you?"

He must have looked at her skeptically, because she nodded and answered with, "It's nothing like _that_. He and I started… working here at the same time. He's sort of my assistant, I guess you could say. Do you remember the night you and I went out, right before I'd be done at Oxford?"

Alek nodded. They had walked around the old city hand in hand, talking about anything and dreaming about the future. He remembered that night very fondly; it had been wonderful.

"Well, that day a man had come to visit the lab, but it wasn't anything unusual because people did that all the time, to look for interns. So anyways, this man introduced himself to me as Dmitri Shchavelsky, and asked if he could speak with me privately. I was in a rush because I wanted to see you, so I told him to meet me the next day."

She paused, letting Alek absorb the information.

"I know it was stupid, but I really wasn't thinking. I was tired and I wanted to see you; if I could go back and change it... Anyways, he came the next day and we went to that cafe, the one near the pub you and I like. I thought I saw Doctor Barlow there, and when she came towards us, he dragged me out the door. I don't remember what happened after that, but I woke up in a room with Dmitri and he told me that if I didn't come with him, my whole family would be gone."

"But you believed him? How did you know he wasn't just lying?" Alek asked.

"I did think he was full of clart at first, but then he brought Cocijo in and made him tell me what had happened to his family. Dmitri made him watch everything while he slaughtered Cocijo's sisters, then his mother and father. Even if Cocijo hadn't said anything, I could see it on his face. He wasn't lying."

She waited for Alek to nod as confirmation for her to continue.

"So anyways, he originally said I'd have a week to explain everything to you and my family, but he changed his mind and said we'd be leaving the next morning, which is the reason for my …sudden departure."

Alek blinked at her and looked away. It was a painful memory for him, too.

But Deryn continued, determined to say the things she'd been wishing to say for two years.

"For which I am so, so sorry, Alek. Please, forgive me. I was foolish, I was completely rotten. And I understand that you're here for Ma, that you probably don't want anything to do with me-"

He cut her off. "I never said that."

A howler monkey cried in the distance.

She wasn't sure what to say, but carried on nervously.

"I'm not tryin' to excuse meself for what I did, but I want you to know I did it because I didn't want him to hurt ye." Her voice was shaky now, trying not to break.

Alek smiled at her. He had such a lovely smile, but really, this wasn't the time.

Her temper flared oh-so-slightly. "What are ye smilin' about? I'm tryin' to apologize!"

His smirk didn't leave. "I appreciate that; it's just that you sound so perfectly Scottish when you're nervous. I'm sorry."

Bovril took the opportunity to mock her exaggerated accent in the space between she and Alek.

She looked away, feeling silly and now unable to hold back a smile herself. She was glad for the interruption; she now felt more relaxed. She met his eyes, and then looked away. The kind, green orbs only made her feel guiltier.

"The point is, Alek, I've been terrible to you, and I'm sorry, and I know it's a lot to ask, but if you can, please forgive me."

He thought for a moment, and then said, "Deryn, I know what happened to you wasn't an easy thing to go through, and I'm sorry it happened. I accept your apology and forgive you."

She breathed a sigh of relief. That must have been hard for him.

"Thank you."

He nodded at her.

She fiddled with her hands again. "So… How are things back at home?"

"In Austria or Scotland?"

"Both, I guess."

Well, Scotland is cold, as usual. Jaspert's doing well, Ma says he's got himself a sweetheart at the library."

Deryn brightened. "Ooh! Who is it?"

"I can't quite remember, but it was a Gaelic name.. The girl he's liked for quite a while now."

"I bet it's the Lennox girl. He's had it for her for years now. It's about time he got the backbone to talk to her. What else?"

"In Austria?" She nodded. "Austria hasn't been doing so well, I'm afraid."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"The people, they don't really like me," he admitted, looking down.

"And why ever not?" she said, with a disapproving tone.

"They think I'm foolish, fleeting, and young. There's been talk of a revolution, too."

Her eyes widened. "A _revolution_?"

Alek nodded.

"Volger was the one who encouraged me to come here, actually, to get away for a little while, until things calmed down a bit."

Deryn gave him a puzzled look. "That's a bit odd."

"What is?"

"Volger. He doesn't usually encourage such things. Why isn't he here?"

Alek shrugged. "I'm not sure. He hasn't been coming along with me on a lot of trips lately. He's been staying behind and taking care of the empire in my stead, which I appreciate highly."

"Being an emperor's not all it's cracked up to be, eh?" she said, scooting next to him.

He smiled a little. "No, not exactly." Without thinking, he added, "If I had had it my way, we would have been married and I would live the life of a commoner."

She looked away, guiltily. "Again, I'm sorry about that," she whispered softly.

"It's all right," he whispered back, placing his hand gently over hers. She looked up to meet his eyes. "I'm a firm believer in second chances."

His face moved closer to hers, the angle adjusting ever so slightly. She followed suit, eagerly anticipating the forthcoming kiss when they were interrupted.

Cocijo pounced onto the platform with a _thud!_. He looked at them both, the position they were in, and quickly looked away sheepishly.

"Sorry," he blurted out. "Deryn, I didn't know we were meeting so early. I've just been out collecting more samples."

She moved back from Alek reluctantly, slightly irritated at the boy's bad timing. "It's all right. Did you get any?"

The boy nodded. He turned to Alek and said, "Hello. I am Cocijo, Deryn's assistant."

Alek nodded in acknowledgement, equally reluctant to move away from Deryn. "Hello, Cocijo. I am Aleksandar."

"Yes, I've heard all about you," he said shyly.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Yes, only good things of course," he said, giving him a playful smile as he bent down to reach into his bag. He handed two small vials to Deryn.

Alek had never seen anyone quite like Cocijo before. He was tan and had dark eyes, sharp features. What Alek found particularly interesting was the slender black horsehoe ring through the bottom of his nose. Though Mexico was close, he wasn't like the people he'd met there when he and Deryn had been aboard the _Leviathan_. He sort of reminded him of the people from Istanbul, but not quite. He looked slightly more.. _Wild_. His black hair was longer than Alek's but shorter than Deryn's; it had hung loosely above his shoulders. The way he spoke was distinct, too. He enunciated his words very slowly, as if he was thinking very clearly of what he was going to say. He was very eloquent and deliberate, his English exceptionally good. Still, though, he seemed very pleasant.

"We've been collecting samples from the rare and mysterious black orchid," Cocijo explained to Alek as Deryn held the vials up to study them.

"What for, if I may ask?"

"I don't understand it entirely myself, but a friend of ours from Africa uses them to make something he calls Life Essence Serum. If you can cook the sample down to a certain temperature, it becomes some sort of serum that can bring people back from the dead."

"Aye," Deryn said, wrapping the vials up and tucking them into her bag. "Nothing unholy, though. But only people that have been dead just for a little while; no more than half an hour, I think. It fills you with pure life essence, restarting everything that's stopped. Themba's only heard about it; they don't have the black orchid in Africa, so he asked us to collect some for him while we were here."

Bovril slithered out from Alek's lap into the middle of the platform and began reciting, "Themba," over and over.

Cocijo bent down beside the loris. "This is quite a curious creature you have here, Alek! It reminds me of a creature I saw in the London Zoo once. A slow loris, I think it was called."

Alek cleared his throat. Though he wouldn't admit it, he didn't know other lorises had existed at all. "It's a perspicacious loris, actually. We call it Bovril."

"Bovril, then?" Cocijo reached down to pet the loris who responded by lifting its head up and humming happily. Cocijo picked it up and held it close to his face, and appeared to say something into its ear. Bovril made its way around his neck and back down his arm. It ran back to Alek after a moment and crawled into his lap.

Cocijo chuckled a bit. "Bovril seems to like you quite a bit, Alek. And rightfully so, I should say. You have a very gentle spirit."

The boy stood up, then looked down at Deryn's bag, frowning.

"Why do you have so much with you?"

She looked fidgety, but he didn't need her to answer to guess what she was doing.

"Deryn, you were the one telling me to wait! What has changed your mind?" He looked at her for a moment.

"He hit you again, didn't he?"

Alek had to interrupt. "What?"

She didn't answer.

"Yes, he did. Your left eye betrays you."

"Who?" Alek growled.

"Dmitri," Cocijo answered. "He's taken to beating us whenever we've done something he doesn't like. Deryn, when did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

Alek got up and placed a hand to the bruised spot. How he didn't notice it before when he'd almost kissed her he did not know. Indeed, Cocijo was right. Just at the corner of her eye was a small bruise that had started to turn purple and swell.

Alek cursed in German.

She brushed his hand away. "I'm all right. It's just a little bruise."

This confirmed Alek's suspicions about Dmitri. He did not like him, not a bit.

"I'll be fine," she continued. "Cocijo, I have all my things with me because I'm not going back. We're going to Africa to give Themba the samples and stop Dmitri."

Cocijo did not protest. "Deryn, I do agree that we should leave, but not yet. I left something at the temple I have to take with me."

She rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you bring it with you?"

"Because you didn't tell me that it was happening tonight," Cocijo said, meeting her glare. "We must go back."

"And just how will we manage that? Dmitri will have guards posted at every square inch by now."

Cocijo thought for a moment. "If we wait until after the _Gondolin_ has left we can sneak back in. Dmitri wasn't expecting us to ride with them anyways, so we'll just leave after they do!"

"And I've told my men where I am, so they can cover for me," Alek offered.

Deryn looked between the two of them. "All right. But we shouldn't wait long; the place is likely to be overrun with vengeful rebels not long after they leave. Whatever you need, I hope it helps us stop Dmitri."

Cocijo nodded. "I've thought about it for a while, and I think I know what his plans for the Project are."

Deryn looked at him and asked, "What?" She knew he was evil and heinous, but the exact purpose of the Project was still unclear to her.

"Something more evil than I care to say. I don't know for sure, and I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I know he needs to be stopped."


	14. Plans II

**Hello, friends!**

**Thank you Jett! It would have been AMAZING. I will tuck that idea into my imaginary pocket full of writing ideas, and if it ever happens, it will be especially for you! **

**EllieStone, jibblitmuffins3675, Barking Lizards, SecretKeeper1095, and Daft Prince, you're all awesome! Thank you so, so much for the reviews and encouragement!**

**Super-special thanks to EllieStone for pointing out a typo in the last chapter; how embarrassing! I apologize and promise that I've read this one more than once through! That'll teach me to stay up late into the late feeding on sugary goods and not pay attention to what I'm typing. :)**

**I'm having so much fun learning about the Mesoamerican cultures! Eagle Warriors and Jaguar Warriors were thought to be an Aztec association, but for my purposes I have tweaked them ever-so-slightly that Jaguar are more Mayan, and Eagle are in the middle. Interesting fact: Jaguar Warriors had to capture four enemies during battle to win his title, and to be an Eagle Warrior, you had to capture at least twenty! The Eagle Warriors were said to be the most feared soldiers in the Aztec army, fighting battles and capturing people their entire lives.**

**All original characters and plotline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing.**

**:)**

"Deryn, hold still."

"That barking hurts! Mind where you're poking, I've only got two!"

"If you would stop moving, it wouldn't hurt as much!"

Deryn turned to shoot a glare at Cocijo, who failed to stifle a giggle. "They do bicker, don't they?" he said to Bovril.

Deryn's eye had swollen up almost shut, the area below it purplish and puffy. She insisted it was fine, but she could obviously barely see and Alek had persisted in finding a way to help the swelling go down. Cocijo brought him some finely chopped yuca paste, which he told him would soothe it. Alek was trying to rub the paste on the affected area as gently as possible, but she was having none of it.

"He _hit_ you, Deryn. Why didn't you contact me sooner?" he said with frustration. It upset him very much that Dmitri had hurt Deryn and Cocijo, but he also found it disconcerting that Deryn had, in a way, put up with it. Strong-willed, independent, fool-the-entire-British-Air-Service Deryn. What sort of man was this Dmitri, and how did he intimidate Deryn Sharp?

"I wanted to! But... Well, you know the rest.." she mumbled.

"How many times has it happened?" he asked, bracing himself for the worst answer.

She turned her head, looking away, causing his slippery fingers to nearly slide to her chin, earning a curse and, "I don't exactly know."

"You're a woman, Deryn! And Cocijo's only a boy!"

She turned back and scowled. "Aye, I told you he was a monster! And it's not my fault! There wasn't much I could do against a drunk that went stark raving mad! He's stronger than he looks."

He looked at her and conceded. He felt distraught that he hadn't been able to stop Dmitri, that he didn't protect Deryn. He hated that this happened. He hated that she was hurt. He was angry with Dmitri, but taking it out on Deryn was pointless, really.

He sighed and took the last bit of mush from the knife's blade and tried rub it over the swollen area again, but it just wouldn't stick.

"Blisters, Alek, that poking hurts! Just let me cut it."

Before he could ask what she meant by "cut" (she surely didn't mean literally), Alek watched in horror as Deryn snatched the knife from his hand and raised it to her bruised eye.

"Deryn, what are you-" he tried to reach for the knife but she pulled away.

"I'm only letting some of the blood out," she winced as she slowly pressed the blade against her cheekbone. Blood quickly came out of the cut, and sure enough, the swelling around her eye went down, almost back to normal. Alek gently dabbed gently the area with his handkerchief.

"Thank you," she said softly, actually trying this time to hold still.

"You're welcome," he answered, still dabbing the blood from her cheek. "I'm sorry it happened," he added quietly.

She met his gaze. "It isn't your fault."

Cocijo looked up at them with an amused expression, Bovril rolling around playfully in front of him, reciting new Mayan-sounding words. "All done?"

Deryn nodded. "Aye, I can see finally."

Alek was sure that Cocijo could be trusted, but there was something about him he didn't quite understand. Deryn mentioned meeting him in England, but he was clearly Mayan, so he must have moved there. To be sent away at such a young age, he must have been very important. He had excellent manners and spoke almost impeccable English; his vocabulary was almost as extensive as Count Volger's. He must have been looked after by very intelligent people. And in Europe, intelligence often equaled wealth. And Alek had never seen anyone in Europe with a nose ring like that, making him further believe there was more to Cocijo than he was letting on.

He clearly had been around Count Volger too long.

Alek flipped the knife over and handed it back to the boy. "I've never seen a blade like this before," he remarked. It was jet black, the edges of it jagged and chipped, instead of the smooth blades Alek was used to. The handle was made of bone, with strange characters etched into it. It looked very worn.

"Thank you," he said as he took it and placed it back into its sheath at his waist. "It is made from obsidian, a rock the Mayans have used for centuries."

"The markings on the handle are very interesting. What do they say if you don't mind my asking?"

Cheerfully, Cocijo replied, "It is the Mayan Wedding Blessing.

_I know not if the voice of man can reach the to the sky,_

_I know not if the gods will hear if I pray,_

_I know not if the gifts I have will all be granted,_

_I know not what will come to pass in future days,_

_But I hope only good will come from my love to you,"_the boy recited dutifully.

"It was a gift from my mother to my father on their wedding day," he added very softly.

"Oh," was all Alek managed to get out. It was typical; he would be suspicious of someone only to be prodding at a tragedy. Perhaps he actually hadn't been around Volger enough to learn the art of nosiness properly. Not that he really cared to learn.

Still, though, the boy seemed unfazed and continued. "I never knew my mother; she and my father were forced to separate after I was born, what with him being royalty and all-"

Cocijo froze mid-sentence. He looked at Deryn.

"It's all right," she said. "You can trust him."

"Trust me with what?"

"I am Cocijo, son of K'inich Yax Ahkal K'awiil II. He was the King of Guatemala."

Alek's eyes widened. That would explain a lot of things about Cocijo's mysterious upbringing.

"The one that was just…" _Assasinated?,_ he wanted to ask but refrained from doing so.

"Aye," Deryn answered, understanding the unfinished sentence.

Cocijo looked flustered. "Please, Alek, don't tell anyone! Only you and Deryn know, and you know what they did to my father; I can only imagine what they'd do if they knew his heir was still alive and breathing."

Alek nodded. "Of course I won't tell anyone. But, Cocijo, that means you're…"

He didn't have to finish. "Yes, I know, but I can't come forward with it just yet."

"Aye," Deryn piped in. "I told him he should just announce himself and tell those rebels to get stuffed, but he wants to wait for an omen."

Alek raised an eyebrow. "An omen?"

"From the jaguar, of course. It is he who led my father to the throne when it was time, and I have no doubt he will do they same for me," Cocijo said undoubting.

"I see," Alek said. Truthfully, it made absolutely no sense to him. In Austria, the sort of omen he had to wait for confirmation from the Vatican to become Emperor and then work through a mountain of paperwork, not for a jaguar.

"I'm in no rush," Cocijo continued, calmer now. "When the time is right, the great jaguar will make himself known to me."

Alek felt a little unkind for asking so much. Surely it wasn't an easy thing for the boy to talk about. "I am sorry, Cocijo."

The boy nodded in return. "It's all right. Anyways, Deryn, it's getting late and we should finish up our plans."

"Right," Deryn said, pulling a rolled up piece of paper from her bag. "This is the map of the base in Congo. Dmitri's been building the temple over here-"

"Temple?" Alek asked.

"Aye. He's been barking obsessed with the temple in Tikal for quite some time now, so he's trying to build one in Congo. They were only just starting when we left, so it could be almost finished now."

"Anyways, the _Gondolin_ is going to be put down here," she pointed to a spot on the map. "So if we come down here," she muttered, taking her pencil and marking various spots.

"Oi! But we need to land in the North first, to stop by Themba's," she said to herself, erasing then making more markings.

That was one aspect of the plan Alek wasn't sure about: if they weren't riding the _Gondolin_ or with Dmitri on another airship, just how were they going to get to Africa?

He cleared his throat, hoping not to sound ridiculous by asking, "How are we going to get there? Do you have another airship?"

Cocijo looked up from the map. "No, we'll take Amidamaru, of course."

"I'm sorry?"

"You haven't been to the aviary yet?" Cocijo said, cocking his head to the side.

Alek shook his head no.

"Aye, that's going to be tomorrow morning," Deryn said absently-mindedly.

"But who is Amidamaru?"

Cocijo answered, "He is the king of the eagles. He's very fast, faster than any airship, and quite good at carrying passengers. We've only done it with two people before, but I'm sure one more person and a loris won't make much of a difference." He spoke with a tone of admiration and excitement.

But the idea of riding on a giant eagle's back was not appealing to Alek. It even sounded a little ridiculous. Really, they were going to travel all the way to Belgian Congo on the back of a bird? It had to be at least 7,000 miles; if not more.

"It will be able to carry us all the way to Africa?"

Deryn shook her head. "No, but he can go quite far without a break. If we stop in Brazil, like we did on the way here, I think we'll make it there in two days, so just after the _Gondolin _lands.. He was my first successful fab!" she said, smiling to herself.

_Two days?_ How fast could this creature be?

Just as he was about to ask, Alek was quieted by a rustle from below.

Cocijo paused and crouched down silently, with a finger pressed to his lips. Deryn gave him a curious look as he crawled to the edge of the platform. Alek placed Bovril back in his coat and scooted over next to Cocijo with Deryn.

On the ground below them were a handful of the people Alek had seen fighting when the _Gondolin_ had landed. They were wearing the same sort of furry white hoods Deryn had on earlier. They were running on the ground silently, spears and bows and knives and torches in hand.

"Eagle Warriors," Deryn whispered, more than likely for Alek's benefit. "Probably looking for him," she said, gesturing with her thumb at the discarded costume.

They stopped, and the man that appeared to be the leader gathered them in a circle. His mask was different than all the rest: it was shaped more like a beak. There were at least a dozen of the others, and they looked very fierce. Their faces were hidden, of course, but the scars and intricate tattoos up and down their arms and torsos were illuminated by the torchlight, as were their fearsome weapons of choice. They spoke in the language just like Cocijo's; the boy looked like he was listening. He furrowed his brow and said, "They're from the North."

One of them paused and looked up, and Deryn and Cocijo simultaneously yanked Alek back over the platform. Deryn put a finger to her lips, hoping they hadn't been seen. They sat in silence now, the sound of Alek's hearing pounding in his ears. They waited a moment before Deryn peeked over the edge of the platform slowly, and whipped back almost immediately as an arrow (thankfully it was poorly-aimed) rushed by her head.

"They've seen us," she said, surprisingly calm yet firm. "We need to move. Now."


	15. The Jungle

**Thank you SecretKeeper1095, EllieStone, Jett, Barking Lizards, and C for your encouraging thoughts! You guys are awesome! :) :) :)**

**Sassysplash: HI! :) I hope you were able to finish reading the chapters I've posted, because some of your questions are answered in them! Avocados are native to Central America, I believe, and I've always liked how she's constantly eating, so I thought she would have one in her bag for a snack! (They're rather delicious.) No glasses, no bowler hat! She is a bona fide boffin, but they don't issue hats in the USDRM! Plus, it's hot in Guatemala, so I don't think she'd wear one regularly. I wanted a cool airship, one that was different than the Leviathan, so while I was doing some random reading, I came across the narwhal and I could resist using that****. Alek definitely likes the Leviathan better. :) Sorry if I didn't make this clear in my story! But the year is 1919, making Alek and Deryn twenty, and Doctor Barlow 34. Jaspert is twenty-three, Volger is 53, and I imagine Deryn's mother to be in her forties. You're awesome! Thank you for review! :)**

**Speaking of accuracy, thank you to Irish Nitpicker for the Gaelic correction! How embarrassing! You have my sincerest apologies for the lingual blunder and thanks!**

**Also, you guys asked for more Bovril and scenery, you will get it! There isn't much in this chapter, so the next one will have it. :) So sorry about that! I'd thought I was overdoing it, being too descriptive! Hopefully will be able to achieve a satisfactory, happy medium!**

**I had THE hardest time writing this chapter out. I'm the worst with action scenes. I had the idea in my head, but I just couldn't get it the way I wanted it. I was feeling so uninspired and overwhelmed, blah, blah, blah. After being stuck outside during a thunderstorm today, inspiration was sparked! So I apologize for this taking longer than usual. :) I'm really excited about the next few chapters, though!**

**Bakalche' bark was used by the ancient Mayans to close wounds!**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

Calmly, Cocijo drew an arrow from his quiver, drew it in his bow and whispered, "I will try to hold them off. Run."

Deryn stuffed her things into her bag. She ran and jumped, then turned back and motioned for Alek to do the same. He leapt as far as he could, clearing the distance well enough, but his foot slipped as it impacted with the slippery platform. He slid nearly over the edge, but Deryn was fast and pulled him back just in time.

"Your shoes, Clanker! Take 'em off!" she ordered.

She didn't have to tell him twice. Within seconds the shiny black leather boots were off and being hurled over the edge of the platform. Two of the warriors were now on the Skywalk, shooting at them.

He grabbed onto Deryn's extended hand and the two of them ran and jumped to the next platform. The landing was much easier this time. Cocijo was close behind, only a platform or two, deliberately lagging back to shoot at the warriors.

The shouts from below continued as they ran. They sounded angry.

Deryn and Alek kept moving, platform to platform. She was right about no shoes: it was much easier for Alek to maintain his footing with bare feet than with rubber soles. A shrill squeak came from inside of Alek's coat, no doubt Bovril protesting all of the sudden jostling.

They had a good rhythm going; jump the gap, run over the platform, jump the gap, run over the platform, with the _thud_ of Cocijo a few moments behind them. After a few times, Alek listened for Cocijo to land, but when he didn't hear anything, he stopped and turned back. An arrow whizzed by his head, just missing it.

One of the warriors had managed to get on the platforms.

Cocijo was two platforms behind them; facing them, about to jump when a pained look stretched across his face. He placed a hand to his side and collapsed to his knees, precariously close to the edge. Alek saw the tip of an arrow jutting straight out from the boy's side.

Deryn wasted no time.

She jumped back and pulled the boy into the middle of the platform before he fell forward. She grabbed Cocijo's bow and shot at the warrior behind them, dodging an arrow as she shot again. There was no retaliation. She kneeled to Cocijo and yelled for Alek.

"Cocijo! Cocijo!" she said frantically as she put a hand to his forehead. Arrows came up from below. "Hang on!" as she stood up and shot another arrow with expert aim, quieting the protest from below.

Cocijo was on his knees, hands to the arrow sticking from his side. "The others," he said, surprisingly calm, between breaths. Deryn looked around, below, and above them. "They're gone. Must have only sent the two."

Alek knelt beside him, feeling perfectly useless. He had no medical knowledge of such injuries. He helped Deryn as she unbuttoned and loosened the once white (now stained red) shirt from his body. Alek grimaced.

"Barking spiders," she cursed. The arrow had been shot at an angle, going through the bottom of Cocijo's ribcage. It must have been excruciating.

"Can you help him?" he asked Deryn.

She nodded. "Aye, but it's going to hurt. Hold onto him." Alek faced the boy so that he was also on his knees, letting Cocijo hang onto his arms.

"One, two," she counted. "Three."

She snapped the tip of the arrow off, earning a loud groan of pain from Cocijo.

She moved behind him, where the arrow had entered. "Ready?" Cocijo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded. His grip on Alek's arms was painfully tight as she swiftly extracted the arrow out as fast as she could. Cocijo gasped and fell forward into Alek, but remained conscious.

Alek took Cocijo's shirt and tried to help with the bleeding, but to no avail.

Deryn grabbed the knife and a strip of cloth from her bag. "I'll be right back. Keep him awake!"

Alek gently flipped the boy over so his back was Alek's knees; the back of his head cradled on his forearm.

"Cocijo! Cocijo!" he called.

Alek was relieved to see him stir. He looked quite awake, but quite in pain.

Cocijo looked at him with heavy eyes and smiled softly. "Hello, Alek."

"Hello. I think it's important for you to know that you've been injured, but Deryn's gone off to get help."

Cocijo nodded. "Thank you, Alek."

Bovril took the moment to slither out of Alek's coat and crawl into Cocijo's lap.

"Bov! You can't; he's hurt," Alek said when Cocijo winced sharply as the loris crawled onto his lap.

The loris gave him a dejected look.

"Sorry, Bovril," Cocijo said.

The loris made an indignant noise, strikingly similar to Doctor Barlow, as Alek scooped it up and placed it on his own shoulder.

The boy clenched his jaw. "It hurts.. so much," he winced, eyes growing heavier with each word.

"You're going to be all right, Cocijo! Please try to stay awake!" Alek raised his voice with each word, unsure of what to do.

Not a moment too soon, Deryn emerged from the forest with a lit torch and something in her hand.

"Got us a torch," she panted. "And bakalche' bark, too. It might help stop the blood," she said as she gently placed a strip over the wound and pressed it in. Cocijo made no response, and the bleeding kept on just as steady as before.

"This isn't working," she said, partly to herself. "The bit of skin around it's been torn up too much."

"Can we take him back to the _Gondolin_? Aurielo is supposed to be an excellent doctor." Alek suggested.

She looked contemplative. "It's too far, plus the rest of the warriors were headed that way." He had forgotten about that.

"...There is a place close by, but Cocijo won't be happy about it."

She sat there, thinking for a moment.

"Why won't be happy?"

"We still don't have any idea who killed his father; he doesn't want anyone to find out who he is. It could have been anyone," she replied.

Alek looked down at the boy in his arms. He was so brave. And he very well may have saved both his and Deryn's lives. (And Bovril's, too!) There shouldn't be any question about it.

"We should take him there. I'd rather have him alive and not pleased with us than dead."

She nodded. "Aye, you're right. Here, if you carry him, I can take this-" she collected Cocijo's bag and bow in one hand, still holding the flaming torch in the other. Alek lifted him up gently, one arm under the back of his head and the other behind his knees.

"This way," Deryn said, leading him down towards the Skywalk. Getting down to it with his arms full of Cocijo was a bit tricky, but they managed.

"Ready?" she asked, standing on the jungle floor between him and the trees.

Alek nodded as he followed her into the deep, dark jungle.


	16. The Jungle II

**This chapter is a bit longer than most of the others; I apologize for my lack of consistency! I hope no one minds. :)**

**Howler monkeys are the loudest (land) animals on the planet. Their calls can travel three miles **_**through thick forest**_**!**

**W'itz Ak'al is from the story of White Flower, or Blanca Flor. It means "Lord of the Woods" in Mayan. **

_**Tepal**_** means "ruler" in Mayan, and **_**ts'ats'aak **_**means "doctor". **

**Thank you EllieStone, Jett-Wolfe98, Katniss is Boss and Barking Lizards! :) You guys rock! (Katniss is boss: I have a handful of other stories not related to this one I'm working on. :D And hey, Barking Lizards was helping me out! I am open to constructive criticism! :) Thank you for the review! You're awesome!)**

**All original storyline and characters belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

Walking on the jungle floor with bare feet wasn't as bad as Alek had expected it to be; except for the occasional twig or root, it was surprisingly soft. Still, though, Alek wasn't nearly as used to it as Deryn, so he was taking slow, deliberate steps while she had to slow down to wait for him every few steps she took. He tried to pick up the pace, but it wasn't easy with Cocijo in his arms.

The boy seemed well enough, considering the nature of the wound and the amount of blood he had lost. His pain tolerance level was admirable. He was still breathing, which was an obviously good sign, and once and a while his eyes would flutter open.

"Step softly," Deryn reminded Alek. "You don't want to upset a sleeping snake. Cocijo did that once and the barking thing nearly had us for dinner."

He walked even slower.

Since the sun had set hours ago and the only light they had was from the torch Deryn was carrying, seeing things was rather difficult. The moon was full, but the canopy of branches overhead blocked most of the light. There was something about not being able to see who - or what - was watching them that Alek found disconcerting about the jungle. He wondered what sort of eyes might be peering at them and shuddered.

And it was so noisy. The faint rush of a waterfall in the distance, frogs croaking, the occasional owl _hoot_ing, insects humming, birds calling, monkeys screeching. Most of the noise Alek could tolerate; he even enjoyed hearing the soft croaking of frogs and the steady humming of insects to an extent, but it was the howler monkeys Alek liked the least.

They didn't _howl_, first of all; they _roared_. Every time one did so, Alek jumped and feared they were going to be eaten by some giant predator. Bovril had taken great interest in the sound and had been trying to peek out of Alek's coat to get a better listen. Fearing Bovril would learn the sound and call one over to them, or even just commit it to memory for future use; Alek kept trying to bat the loris back into his coat, without much success since his arms were full of Cocijo. He eventually gave up and let Bovril crawl and settle on his shoulder, its large loris eyes observing. However, Deryn seemed to hardly notice the sounds, and as long as she showed no alarm, he figured they were safe.

He followed the orange light of her torch through the jungle, slowly on a path until they reached a small clearing. She said a strange word quite loud; it must have been Mayan. She waited, nothing happened. She said it again, and a few moments later, and from behind a bush, a small girl appeared.

She was wearing a simple, white, linen dress and had long, wild hair. Like Cocijo, she had dark features, and under her lip there appeared to be some sort of stud. Deryn smiled and scooted down to the girl's level. The girl, no more than seven, returned her smile and nodded a few times as Deryn spoke to her. She peeked around Deryn's shoulder shyly at Alek with big brown eyes. Deryn asked her something again, and the little girl began walking.

Deryn waited for Alek. "She's going to take us to her village," she explained.

"Oh? And they'll help Cocijo?" he asked eagerly.

She nodded. "Aye. When we first got here, I found her," she said, motioning to the little girl skipping happily ahead of them, "on the Skywalk. She was sick, so I sneaked her back to my room and took care of her. When she was better, her father told me that he would return the favor someday, no matter what."

"Oh? Is her father a doctor?"

Deryn shook her head. "No, he's the chief."

Well, then. "And these aren't Cocijo's people?"

"I don't think so. They live in a secret place; only they know where it is. Which is why we need her to bring us there."

The little girl led them this way and that, winding through the darkness. The rush of water got louder, and the ground more compact. There was also another sound… Music, perhaps? The path widened, trees thinned out. Alek could see light coming from up ahead.

And they soon arrived in aforementioned village. It was hard to see in the dark, but with the trees gone and the moonlight shining, Alek could make out shapes of small, round buildings scattered here and there. There were torches strategically placed throughout the perimeter, lining dirt paths and walk ways. In the middle of everything, there was a tall structure, most likely a watch tower. Quite a distance off there was a lit path that went all the way to a small waterfall. Off to the side of that, there was a great crowd and several large fires. They appeared to be celebrating something.

The little girl that had guided them motioned for Deryn to wait.

She scampered off to the large crowd, and came back with a large man. He was wearing a great headdress made with speckled feathers, no shirt (showing off his many intricate tattoos), and a pair of trousers that were sort of loose in between the legs; in a way, blending modern and ancient cultures. His severe expression was illuminated in the torchlight, showing off his facial piercings. The man had a ring through the bottom of the nose like Cocijo, a stud through his chin, and one just below, almost between his eyebrows.

He stared at them for a moment, his dark eyes flicking among them. The little girl spoke to him, probably explaining, and his expression lightened. He stepped forward and held his palm up to Deryn, evidently in greeting. He nodded in acknowledgement to Alek, expression hard. Alek shifted nervously, hoping these people weren't hostile to foreigners.

The man spoke. "Welcome. I am W'itz Ak'al, the chief of this village." He spoke in the same slow, deliberate way Cocijo did. "Deryn Sharp, we are eternally grateful to you for saving my daughter, White Flower. You must forgive me, for we are having a wedding," he smiled a bit. "It is the wedding of my oldest daughter, Ix Chel. We would be honored for you to join us."

"And the boy?" Deryn asked anxiously. "Do you think you can help him?"

The man nodded. "Of course. Our shamans will take good care of him. Please, bring him this way," he said as he motioned them to follow an old woman.

Alek followed her obediently to a small sort of hut. It was built from wood with a grass roof, small enough that Alek had to stoop down to get inside. He placed Cocijo gently onto a cot, only three or four inches above the ground, and backed away as several men came in. They shook empty turtles' shells and rattlesnake tails above Cocijo, shaking them and chanting and singing. Bovril gripped Alek's shoulder, making a low, anxious sound. Deryn didn't move; concern on her face as she set down their bags in the corner and watched them.

Alek took her arm gently, "Come on, Deryn. Only they can help him now."

She nodded. "Aye, I know. I just hope he's all right."

As soon as they had passed back through the doorway, the old woman was waiting with a large knife. She looked at Deryn expectantly. Deryn said, "Oh, right!" as she took the knife and sawed off her braid to just below her shoulders. She handed it to the old woman, who smiled and walked away with it.

Alek gaped. What _was_ it with her and knives?

"Deryn! Your hair!"

She shrugged. "They needed something as payment, since they're going to help Cocijo." A mischievous grin came across her lips. "Not the first time I've cut if off. Besides, it'll grow back. And I've missed having it shorter."

It was a very Derynish thing to do, sawing off one's hair without a second thought. Alek couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Well," Alek said as he tucked a bit of it behind her ear. "You still look lovely."

White Flower sauntered up to them, and handed them each a necklace of bright flowers. She even brought a smaller, Bovril-sized one. She lured the loris to come down from Alek's shoulder with a bit of corn, and then snatched the creature up. It protested at first, but soon settled as she gave it more corn. White Flower looked up at Alek, shy smile on her face, as if asking permission to hold Bovril. He smiled and nodded at her. She motioned for them to follow her as she skipped happily towards the throng of people.

"How does he know English, the chief?" Alek asked Deryn as they were walking.

"Missionaries, mostly," she answered. "And explorers, too. That's why White Flower has an English name; her ma was a missionary that died right after she was born," Deryn explained.

They were led to up the path towards the large fires by the waterfall. The wedding ceremony must have already happened, for there were people feasting and smiling and laughing and music in the air. The bride and groom were easy to spot; they were wearing matching jaguar skin clothing and had an exceptional number of feathers and flowers adorning them. Flutes and drums were being played, making a sound lovely but very foreign to Alek's ears.

The people's faces were peppered with facial piercings; beaded strands going from their ears to through their noses, lips, cheeks all adorned with bone jewelry. Both women and the men had them, as well as tattoos. Some of them were done with ink, some were scarred. Alek concluded that Cocijo's seemingly high tolerance for pain must have been a Mayan trait.

Everyone smiled and nodded at Deryn, who returned their greetings. Someone handed her two bowls, one of which she gave to Alek.

Alek looked down into the bowl he was handed. "What exactly is this?" he asked, trying to sound more curious than cautious.

Deryn paused while she swallowed and said, "Champurrado. Ground up corn and honey. It's like porridge! It has chocolate in it, though. You might like it."

Alek tried not to look skeptical. Slowly, he brought the bowl to his mouth and swallowed. It was indeed similar to porridge with a bit of chocolate in it; it was very good. It reminded him more of the spicy hot chocolate he'd had in the temple, though. But still, it was quite delicious and surprisingly filling, and he was glad of it since he'd missed dinner.

White Flower returned to them with Bovril perched on her shoulder. She had dressed the loris in a loris-sized, feathered headdress; it looked like a Mayan king. Bovril was obviously enjoying this costume and fully embracing the character; when it saw Alek it stuck its nose up and looked away in a very kingly manner. Alek raised an eyebrow then laughed, and White Flower laughed as well. She took his hands and pulled him toward the fire where people where dancing. He at first shook his head no; he was awful enough at the dancing he _knew_ how to do; he would surely be terrible at this. But Deryn saw and took White Flower's other hand, pulling them both along, so he had no choice but to follow.

The music was made up of shakers and drums and flutes.

"How are you so good at this?" he asked Deryn, trying to follow her footing.

She laughed. "There's no way to be good at it, daftie, you just move!"

The three of them, along with several others, danced round and round the fire for quite a long time. It was very awkward at first; Alek had felt quite silly, but no one seemed to mind. He gave up on trying to follow Deryn's footing and just moved to the music, which turned out to be quite fun.

Breathless, he had to sit down. He moved to a small log used as a bench in front of the waterfall. Deryn and White Flower must have been tired as well; they joined on either side of him. The music stopped, and then changed to a different tune. There was a loud, happy ruckus: the bride and groom were leaving. White Flower jumped up to say goodbye to her sister, leaving Bovril on the seat. Before he could say anything, Alek felt Deryn's head resting gently on his shoulder.

"Do you remember what our wedding was going to be like?" she asked while yawning.

He was a bit surprised. "Of course. It would have been nothing like this, though." He remembered it to be a very planned-out affair, while this seemed much more relaxed and casual.

She chuckled. "I almost like this better. No fussing with stuffy dresses or receptions or guests; just us. You never did see that dress, did you?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"Oh. No bother; I didn't like it much anyways," she chuckled.

"Deryn, I-" He was going to ask her about the prospects of another wedding in the near future, but she had drifted off into sleep.

"Deryn!" he called into her ear. She jumped awake. "I think you should get to bed now; you're dozing off."

She yawned again and nodded. "Aye, I reckon you're probably right. Barking long day it's been."

She looped her arm through his and led him back to the hut Cocijo was in. A few people greeted them as they walked.

"I could only get one," she stated. "My hair only went so far." She pulled back the sheet draped over the doorway to reveal Cocijo, side wrapped up and laying sound asleep, looking perfectly peaceful.

Alek looked down at the boy. "I'm glad he's all right," he said quietly, so as not to wake him.

"Aye, these people certainly know their medicine. You'll have to stay with him; I hope that's all right."

"Of course I don't mind. But what about you?"

"Oh, I'll sleep outside. I don't mind," she said through a yawn. She looked positively haggard.

"Absolutely not. Deryn, you're exhausted. You can sleep on the other cot, and I'll sleep on the floor."

She opened her mouth to say something, so he added firmly, "I insist."

She looked at him, and then conceded. She must have been more tired than she looked; too tired to argue, for she flopped right down onto the cot and was softly snoring within moments. Alek knelt beside her. She looked so peaceful, serene. Her eye looked much better now, though the cut was still quite visible. He smoothed a strand of golden hair from her forehead and kissed it softly.

"Goodnight, Deryn," he whispered, then went about rolling up his jacket to make a pillow.

Cocijo stirred. "Hello, Alek."

Alek jumped. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you!"

Cocijo laughed softly. "It's all right! I was awake anyways."

Alek turned to face him. "How are you feeling?"

"Much, much better, thank you," he answered. "The _ts'ats'aak_ says I could be better by morning."

"Better by morning!" from Alek's shoulder.

"Hello, Bovril. It's nice to see you, and looking so Mayan!" the boy laughed. "A true _tepal!_"

Bovril crawled up cautiously towards Cocijo, eyeing Alek the whole time, daring him to scold again. It strategically avoided the boy's stomach and settled on his chest.

"Yes, it seems Bovril is quite aware of that," Alek said, internally rolling his eyes but chuckling out loud.

Bovril crawled up to the boy's face and sniffed him, gently batting at the ring in his nose. "I don't think you'd want one of these, Bovril. They can be quite painful," Cocijo said to the loris, readjusting the ring.

"How did you get that?" Alek asked. He had found the small, black ring going through Cocijo's nose fascinating and he felt incredibly strange asking, but he was so curious he couldn't resist.

"This?" Cocijo said, touching the ring softly. He laughed. "Oh, I've had that since I was a child! It is a tradition in my family; all of the men have them. My father gave it to me."

Alek and Cocijo sat in silence awkwardly for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear about your father, Cocijo. I lost my father, too, when I was just a little bit older than you, and I know it's not easy."

"So did Deryn. I guess we all have something in common."

Alek smiled a little, sadly. "I guess so."

Cocijo continued, "But thank you. It hasn't been so bad; I never really knew my father. He sent me away to England when I was very young, so I don't remember much," he winced ever-so-slightly as he tried to sit up.

"Here," Alek said gently, reaching up and adjusting the pillow under the boy's head.

"Thank you. I do remember, though, him giving me this," he said as he tugged on the black cord around his neck. He pulled it out from under the colorful bedspread, on which there was a small pendant. It looked like a small, green cat. "It is supposed to be the spirit of the jaguar, to protect me. He gave it to me right before he sent me away," Cocijo said softly. "What is your favorite memory of your father?"

Alek thought for a moment.

Now that he was thinking about it, he didn't really have any solid memories of his father. He always seemed to be away, and never had much time for Alek. He remembered seeing him and talking with him and occasionally playing with him, when he had the time, of course, but they never really had one particular thing they did together that was especially theirs. And it had been so long since he had seen him last…

So he answered with the most prominent memory he had, "I remember someone singing to me when I was little. An Austrian lullaby, called _Edelweiss_, about a flower. It's the only memory, really, but I think that would be my favorite." Alek wasn't even sure if it had been his father singing to him, but still, he remembered enjoying it.

Cocijo yawned. "That's… nice," he muttered, falling into sleep.

Alek rolled over so his face was towards Deryn. One of her hands was draped delicately over the edge of the cot. Alek reached out and took it, simply holding it. He was glad just to be near her. He had spent many a night tossing and turning, sick with worry and just wanting to be able to feel her presence, to be able to reach out and hold her. This day had been taxing, that was for certain, but he had found Deryn, and they were together again. He felt relieved and happy and uneasy all at the same time. Uneasy about the Dmitri situation for obvious reasons; it made his blood boil to think about him. Also making him uneasy was the situation with Deryn's mother. He needed to write to Jaspert to tell him he and Deryn were all right, but how could he do it? Sure they didn't have postal service or message birds all the way in the jungle..

His trail of thoughts was broken when she stirred slightly, Alek nervous for a moment he'd woke her up, but felt relieved with she squeezed his hand slightly, muttering, "'Night, love."

"_Gute Nacht, Liebe."_


	17. B'alam

**You guys! Seeing all of your reviews makes my heart so happy! :D Thank you!**

**Jett: I love how much you love Bauer and how you write in all caps. I seriously look forward to reading your reviews because they're so awesome. :D I almost decided not to have any more Bauer parts this round but there will be some in the next half! HE'S COMING.**

**C: :D I've actually had that part written for a while; I'm quite proud of how well it turned out. It's a good kiss, if I may say so myself. I hope you are pleased with it. :D Thanks for the help!**

**Katniss is boss: It's cool! You're awesome! Thanks for the review. :)**

**Thank you: Barking Lizards, Knight Mistress, EllieStone, Katniss is boss, Zmusic2014, C, Jett, Sassysplash, and Jett-Wolfe98! You guys are AMAZING! Thank you so much for the encouragement; you keep me going! **

**So sorry this took longer than usual! Two more chapters, everyone! I should have those up sooner than later. Then I plan on taking a little break to write out the next half, Congo. It won't be too long of a wait, though: it's going to be shorter and I've had most of it written out for quite some time. Just needs a bit of polishing. :D**

**Completely irrelevant fact: I was doing a bit of research on the jaguar (for which this chapter is named) earlier, and I learned that only six percent of the jaguar population has a black coat. Fascinating!**

**Also, I would like to point out that obsidian is incredibly common in Central America. I should have used jade for Cocijo's nose ring, so it would have been more obviously uncommon, but I already said it was black! So please forgive my error. :)**

**Xbalanque = shi-ba-lan-kay**

**Hunahpu = wah-nu-pwuh**

**All characters and original storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**Here we go. :)**

_"The bringer of the jaguar is near." _

_"What?"_

_"You have brought him upon us. You have put us all in danger!"_

Deryn woke with a start.

At least it wasn't the same old nightmare.

She was hot and sticky; she needed to get fresh air immediately. She looked to her side and saw Alek, sound asleep, weakly clasping at her hand.

Carefully, she removed her hand from his and got up without making a sound. Cocijo and Bovril were sleeping in peace as well; soft snoring could be heard coming from them both. She glanced down at the loose wrappings on the boy's side. He was a heavy sleeper so she doubted he would wake up if she took a peek. She gently pulled the bandages back, preparing for something grisly, but was pleasantly surprised but what she saw: nothing. There was only the faint mark of where the arrow had pierced him. Mayan remedies never ceased to amaze her.

She drew back the curtain to see that it was still twilight; the sun was just about to rise. A few people were here and there, walking about, grinding corn, carrying bundles. Deryn walked past them, towards the waterfall they had been near the night before. It was already warm and humid; it was going to be a scorching day.

She stopped at the bottom of the waterfall, enjoying the feeling of the cool mist on her skin. She stooped down to splash some water on her face, but paused when she saw her reflection.

Only for a second, she could have sworn she saw her father's face staring back at her instead of her own. But it was only for a moment. She shook off the thought and drew the water into her hands. Strange.

Slightly cooler now, she stood up and examined her surroundings. From this angle, she couldn't tell where they had entered the village last night. In fact, she hadn't the slightest idea whatsoever; she had been so keen on making sure Cocijo was all right she hadn't bothered to notice. The perimeter all looked the same; there didn't appear to be any paths leading into the jungle.

There did, however, appear to be a path up the side of the waterfall. It was quite high; it went all the way to the top, but perhaps she'd be able to get a better look from up there. So up she went, pulling herself up to each ledge. The plateau at the top was really quite small; there was a fairly good-sized stream of water flowing and the jungle beyond that. Over on other side of the stream was W'itz Ak'al, looking out at the jungle. She was a bit surprised to see him and would have gone straight back down if he hadn't nodded in acknowledgement to her.

"Hello," she said, crossing the stream.

"Hello, Deryn. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Well enough," she answered.

"Good. There is something I need to ask you about. About the boy you brought to us last night."

Deryn swallowed. "H-he's doing much better, thank you."

He smiled. "I knew the shamans would take good care of him. But that is not what I ask." He sat down and sighed. "Is he who I think he is?"

She looked at him for a moment. His expression was soft but grim, as if he was disciplining one of his children.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"The obsidian ring through his nose, and the knife in his bag. We do not get that kind of stone around here often. It is plentiful in the North, from the land of the king."

Deryn didn't say anything.

The chief continued. "And you and I both know well what has happened to the king. We heard the Eagle Warriors last night, too, Deryn! We know who they were looking for. You have brought danger upon us all!"

"Why didn't you say something last night?" Deryn retorted.

"Because it was you that saved White Flower, for which I am eternally grateful. I made a promise to you and kept it."

"Does anyone else know?"

He shook his head. "My shamans, yes. The Council will be deciding today what is to be done. We cannot have the Eagle Warriors here."

She looked at him. "Why don't you fight the rebels? They killed your barking king!"

He sighed. "It is more complicated than that. We are but a small village; there is no way we could take them on, nor do we desire to. All we want is for you to take him and leave peacefully, before the village awakens."

That wasn't the answer she was expecting. "What?"

"Leave with the boy and the man and the creature before the village wakes up. No more will be spoken of it here."

She looked at him. "Why are you just letting us go?" If this had happened in another village, they would have been locked up. Or worse, they would be handed over to the Eagle Warriors for a bounty.

He smiled a bit. "You never knew White Flower's mother. But they way you are with the one you call Alek reminds me of Elizabeth and I quite a lot." He looked at her. "True love doesn't come every day, Deryn. Hold onto it while you can."

"Thank you," she said softly.

He smiled. "Now get them and come back here swiftly. There is a path into the jungle; it will take you to the place you seek. I will send White Flower to show you."

She moved quickly back down the waterfall, the sun now beginning to rise behind her. She tore back the curtain to see Alek and Cocijo still asleep. She quickly bent down, shook him, and said, "Alek. Get your things. We need to leave now."

He looked at her, dazed and still half-asleep, but obeyed.

She scooped up Bovril in a fluid movement and shook Cocijo.

"Barking spiders," said Bovril through a small yawn.

"Cocijo, wake up! We've got to go!"

Cocijo stirred and looked at her, just as confused as Alek.

"Don't argue, just get your things; we've got to go if we're going to get back to the temple before the sun goes down."

She didn't have to tell him twice. Hurriedly, he sat up and put his own hand to the wrappings, amazed look on his face at the miraculous healing. He grabbed his bag and turned to her.

"Ready!"

Alek was as well. She pulled back the curtain as she said, "All right. Follow me."

She brought them back up the waterfall, towards the path the chief had pointed out to her. She really wasn't sure what direction it would take them in, but he seemed sure. White Flower was there waiting. She looked at them and began skipping her way into the jungle.

Alek yawned. "Really, Deryn, I don't understand why we have to leave so early."

"So we can get back to the Temple to get whatever this one needs," she said, motioning to Cocijo. Whatever it was, had better be barking good. "Before the Eagle Warriors start ransacking it."

"Why wouldn't they be there now?" Alek asked, frowning.

"They're scared of Dmitri," Cocijo answered. "They won't go near it while he's there."

White Flower came to a stop just as the path split. She looked up at Deryn and pointed to the one on the right that seemed to go down, as if going into a valley, while the one on the left went up, as if up a hill.

Deryn knelt to her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, White Flower, I'll never forget what you've done for us." The girl smiled shyly and handed her a small bag. It was heavy with kernels of corn, most likely intended for Bovril. She went over to Alek, who snatched Bovril from his shoulder and held the loris in his hands, so White Flower could give it a kiss.

"Barking spiders! You hardly know me!" Bovril declared in a distinctly Scottish lilt.

White Flower chuckled and waved to them as they began their descent once again into the jungle.

This part of the jungle Deryn had never set foot in. And it was nothing like the part of the jungle she and Cocijo had been exploring these past months. It was different; there was something that made it feel ancient, like they were out of place there. The trees were still under the morning fog, but they looked different as well. The birds chirping were new to Deryn's ears; she was used to screeching howler monkeys. And every once in a while, they would walk past large carved stones, the size of boulders, that looked as though they were far away from their place of origin.

If she understood correctly, they were currently facing the back of the Temple, not the side. So that meant that the map should be sideways, and the aviary opposite that? And didn't they just pass that boulder a few minutes ago? She'd gotten almost no sleep the night before. She was hungry, hot, and tired; her attic was too scrambled to think straight. She continued muttering to herself while trying to make sense of the map.

Cocijo and Alek were happily chatting behind her, with comments once in a while from Bovril. Cocijo seemed fine; there was hardly any evidence to prove that he's been skewered with an arrow only the night before. He and Alek seemed to be quite enjoying each other's company.

"Alek, what is the German word for 'lost'?" he asked, loud enough so Deryn could hear. Since they'd been walking, he'd been asking Alek all sorts of German words; curious and apparently eager to learn a new language. Deryn had been around him long enough to know when he was trying to set her off, though, and this was evidence he was doing just that. Growing up with a house full of adopted sisters, he had exceptional skills in the area.

Alek, not quite understanding the joke at first, simply answered, "_Verpasst_."

Bovril broke into a fit of hysterical laughter as Cocijo tried (but failed) to hold his back. When Alek realized the joke he had just unknowingly taken part of, he joined in.

Annoyed, Deryn spun around to glare at them.

"Aye, we're barking lost! And no thanks to you bum-rags!" she spat.

Trying not to laugh, Alek said, "We're sorry. It's just that you've been talking to yourself this whole time; it was funny." He cleared his throat when her expression didn't lighten. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He smiled down at her. Purposely winding her up while having the audacity to look handsome; the cheek! She rolled her eyes and roughly handed him the map. His head was clearer than hers and he had an excellent sense of direction (for a Clanker). Perhaps he could make better sense of where they were.

"Here, see if you can find out where we are. And you," she said, pointing a menacing finger at Cocijo. He looked at her, his brown eyes wide with false innocence. Truly, she didn't have anything for him to do that she couldn't do herself, but she was hungry and felt like bossing him around. "Find us breakfast, please."

He nodded and set about examining the trees for fruit. Deryn watched him climb up one as Alek said, "Here." He was pointing to a spot on the map. "I think we're here."

She turned and looked at where he was pointing. "Right in the middle of the barking jungle, eh?" She looked up and around, fanning herself with her hand. "Seems about right."

"It is rather hot, isn't it?" he said, pulling at the shirt sticking to his body.

"Aye, take off your shirt if it's bothering you that much," she said nonchalantly. Cocijo spent practically all of his time in the jungle shirtless, as did almost all of the locals they worked with. Deryn had grown used to it.

He looked at her dramatically, as if she'd just proposed something highly scandalous.

She rolled her eyes. "Ack, you prude! You'd be cooler. But go ahead, roast to death. Suit yourself."

"Actually, I think I will," he said smugly as he unbuttoned his buttons. He left his shirt on but open just to annoy her.

"Fine," she said without looking up. She didn't want to see the smug little smile on his face that was undoubtedly there. What was with everyone and winding her up today?

Cocijo returned from the tree with a handful of fruit. "Here," he said as he tossed them each one. "I found mangoes!"

They all sat down, placing the map on the ground in the middle. Deryn gave Bovril a small pile of the corn White Flower had left, which the loris ate greedily. She went about peeling a mango for Alek, who was unfamiliar with the fruit.

Cocijo stared at the map as he ate, brow furrowed.

"Something about this place," he said slowly, nibbling on the mango. "I can feel it in the earth, smell it in the air. There's something different about it. When I was up in the trees, picking these, I could see something in the distance, peeking over the canopy."

"Was it a comb?" Deryn asked, hoping it was. The combs were the rounded tops of the temples. She'd always thought they'd looked funny up close, but they were quite large, making them easy to spot and unmistakably recognizable. If Cocijo could see one from here, perhaps they were closer than she thought.

Cocijo shook his head. "No, it looked almost…" He made a motion with his hands neither Alek nor Deryn understood. The loris paused from eating for a moment to watch.

"Pointy," it said simply, turning back to the pile of delicious golden corn.

"Yes! Thank you, Bovril. It looked almost pointy," he said.

Deryn frowned. "Are you sure it wasn't a tree?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. It was that way," he pointed in the direction they had been walking. "If we're going that way anyways, I'll show you."

"Aye, we are," Deryn said, handing a peeled and sliced mango to Alek, who took it clumsily. "I think so, at least." She sighed and looked down at the map. The spot Alek had pointed to was in a section of green; jungle, obviously, and quite a distance from the temple. Hopefully they would move fast enough to make it there before the sun went down.

The finished up their meager breakfast and began to walk. Though the sun was hidden away by clouds, the air was wet, making it stuffy and hot. Alek eventually gave in and took his shirt off completely; Deryn envied his and Cocij's ability to do so. She sufficed it by unbuttoning a few of her top buttons; more than was definitely proper, but she was roasting. She felt glad she had chopped off a good deal of her hair the night before. It was still down below her neck, which was a bother, but much better than it would have been yesterday.

"I think it's just ahead this way," Cocijo said after a while. He jogged up ahead and hollered back, "Yes, it is!"

Deryn ran to catch up, and Alek followed suit. She stopped right behind Cocijo, who was frozen in place.

In front of them was a very long, winding canyon. The edges of it were above them; ragged against the grey sky. Trees grew right along the jagged edges of it, making it very difficult to see if there were any paths on the other side.

However, to their right was something slightly more interesting. Towering above them was an enormous, white stone statue. It was a statue of some sort of man holding a spear. His face was weather-worn, but the fierce expression was still there. His eyes were wide, mouth open, baring what was left of his teeth. He was wearing a chipped feathered cloth around his waist; his right arm was extended towards the canyon, as if directing them.

"Barking spiders," Bovril and Deryn said in unison while gazing up at the figure.

"What is it?" Alek asked.

Cocijo studied it for a moment. "If this place is what I think it is, that is Xbalanque, one of the Mayan Hero Twins." He moved as he continued to speak. "And if that's Xbalanque, then Hunahpu cannot be far... Ah! There, over on the other side!"

Alek and Deryn turned their heads to look over the canyon where the boy was pointing. Sure enough, on the other side was another statue quite similar to the one they were standing beside. Only this one was holding a bow instead of a spear, and his palm extended towards them, as if in greeting.

Cocijo smiled. "I never thought I would be here," he said quietly.

"What exactly is this place?" Alek asked.

"This, my friends, is where the legendary Hero Twins Xbalanque and Hunahpu escaped from the Underworld after avenging their father. They emerged from the earth and flew into the sky, where they became the sun and the moon."

Alek looked skeptical. "Interesting," he said, which was promptly repeated by the loris.

"Indeed," Cocijo answered. "I've only ever heard of this place, I never thought it was real. Incredible."

Deryn looked back at the canyon. There were no signs of any sort of bridge; it looked like the only way across was to go down and back up. It was going to take _hours_. She let out a groan of frustration. This hadn't been on the map!

"That isn't…" Alek said softly, looking over in the distance.

Cocijo looked to where Alek gaze fell. "It cannot be," he said, disbelief in his voice.

"B'alam," Bovril whispered.


	18. B'alam II

It was, actually.

A jaguar, large and proud, standing on a rock not twenty feet from them, just on the edge of the canyon. It was looking out past the canyon, flicking its spotted tail this way and that.

"Get down on the ground," Deryn said in a whisper. "It might not have seen us."

Alek obeyed, and as he did so, Cocijo walked right past them. "Cocijo!" he said frantically.

The boy ignored him and continued walking straight towards the big cat. The animal seemed not to notice as Cocijo knelt behind it, continuing to toss its tail back and forth as though it was bored.

Cocijo's mouth was moving; he seemed to be speaking to it, though they couldn't hear what he was saying. The jaguar turned around and sat in front of him, as if it was listening. It looked amused as it leapt down from the rock, turning to go down into the canyon. Cocijo soon got up and came back to them.

"Have you gone mad?" Alek said incredulously.

Cocijo ignored him. "He wants us to follow him," he said excitedly. "He'll show us the way across the canyon."

Deryn got up but Alek remained on the ground, mouth gaping. "I'm sorry; did you say he _wants_ us to follow him?"

Cocijo nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Deryn picked up on Alek's confusion.

"He speaks to them, to the animals," she explained.

"How?" Alek asked.

"Once you learn their true names, the animals will answer you about anything," Cocijo stated.

Alek still looked skeptical, then turned to Deryn, who was up and ready to go.

"You can't be serious! We're following a giant cat, Deryn!"

"He's going to bring us to the other side!" Cocijo reminded him.

"Or to his den where he can eat us!"

She thought for a moment while they bickered. It did seem a little strange, but really, did they have another choice? Besides, Cocijo had a way with animals. The ocelot, Yakul, seemed to understand the things the boy would tell him, and it had never hurt them. And Bovril, normally wary of strangers, seemed to be enchanted with him immediately.

"It's either that or find a way around it," Deryn said firmly, abruptly ending the argument.

Cocijo and Bovril walked behind the jaguar, followed by Deryn, followed by Alek. He wanted to keep as far a distance as he could from the big cat.

"So how exactly does one _learn the true names of the animals_?" he asked with a Volger-like hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You convince them to tell you!" Cocijo shouted from the front.

Alek frowned as he nearly tripped.

Deryn stopped and waited while he freed himself from the root his foot was caught on. She spotted a mosquito; the wretched beasts had been plaguing them all morning. So she slapped him on the bare chest, only meaning to squash the bug, but his mouth hung open in pain.

"What is it? I didn't hit you that hard!" she said, examining the area. Her hand looked especially tan compared to his pink skin.

_Pink._

_Oh blisters_.

Deryn grimaced as she inspected the area. "Oi, it looks like you've got yourself a proper sunburn. A barking nasty one, too."

He rubbed the spot gingerly."Is there anything we can do?"

"Well, for starters, you should put your shirt back on, so it doesn't get worse. But hold on just a minute," she said as she walked from the path. She studied the plants on the ground around her until she found the right one. She broke it open and began gently rubbing the goop on his back.

"Thank you," he said, wincing as she touched him.

"Blisters, Alek, you're burning up!" she said aloud as she made her way to his front. His skin was hot to the touch.

Just then a clap of thunder sounded from overhead. Alek jumped a bit and looked up. Buckets of rain came pouring from above, making it nearly impossible to see through the white of the drops.

"Here," Deryn said, trying to scoot out of the way. "We'll wait over there until the rain stops. Cocijo will wait for us wherever he is."

She moved quickly to the overhang; it was sort of like a very shallow cave, Alek staggering behind her. He was dripping wet, relishing the feeling of the cool water on his hot skin.

"It actually feels nice on the burn," he said as she finished smearing the yuca on his chest.

"Aye, it won't make it better, but it'll soothe it," she said, watching him wince as he pulled his shirt back on. "Should be fine in a few days."

"Thank you," he said. "Sorry about teasing you this morning."

She rolled her eyes and punched him half-heartedly in jest, realizing too late that she just hit his sore skin.

"Ooh! Sorry about that!" she said, placing her hand back on the spot in an attempt to cool it down.

He winced again, then laughed a bit. "It's all right," he said, placing his hand over hers.

She got caught up in his eyes for a moment when another thunderclap sounded. She jumped and moved away in an awkward manner. He cleared his throat and looked off, watching the rain.

Deryn turned back and stared at Alek as he watched the rain. She hadn't _really_ taken a good look at him since he'd arrived in Tikal. He looked different since she'd last seen him… older, but not in a bad way. He had grown into more of a man, less of the adolescent she remembered. His face was sharper, stubble peppering his chin. His lovely auburn hair was turning wavy from the humidity, creating a floppy, curly mess on his head. He looked rugged, and more handsome than she'd ever seen him.

"How did I ever leave you?" Deryn said unintentionally aloud, taking a step towards him.

"What?" Alek asked, sounding a bit startled.

"I have been such a _dummkopf_," she continued as she moved closer to him. He had grown taller than her, so she had to look up to meet his great, green eyes.

He looked down at her and his hand cupped her cheek, his thumb gingerly brushing the healing cut just under her eye. "I should have stopped you."

"I wished you would have," she said, placing her hand over his.

She could feel his breath on her now, warm and steady. "I'm so sorry, Alek," she said, involuntary tears running down her cheeks.

He brushed the tears away with his free hand before moving it to her waist, gently pulling her closer. "Deryn," he began.

But he didn't say anymore; he closed the gap between them instead. The well-known, comforting feeling of his lips against hers, the familiar electricity crackling between them was enough to make Deryn melt. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck, half for support and to pull herself closer, up against his warm skin. He jumped a bit, not ready for the sudden coolness of her skin against him, but soon adjusted and then followed suit, bringing his hand from her face to the back of her head, twisting in her golden locks, bringing them closer together. It was a kiss neither of them would ever forget.

After a long moment, Alek broke away and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Oh, Deryn. I would have done the same to protect you."

She buried her face into his shoulder. "No, you would have stopped it; you would have been brave and done the right thing."

He gently pulled her back so she was looking up at him. "What's done is done, and what matters is that we're together now. Right?"

She thought for a moment, and nodded. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I missed you terribly, you know," he mumbled, kissing her temple.

"Aye," she answered. "I missed you, too."

The two of them stood there wrapped in each other's embrace, listening to the sound of the rain until it began to let up and Cocijo came, out of breath.

"There you are! It's just through this way," he panted, pointing towards the path he emerged from. "We're almost there!"

Alek nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Deryn. The sooner they left, though, the sooner they would get home.

He waited for Deryn as she gathered her bag. "Ready?" he said, smiling.

She took his extended hand, but pulled him back and kissed him once more.

"Aye," she said smiling against his mouth, and they ran to catch up with Cocijo.


	19. Inconvenient Complications

**Thank you to: Barking Lizards, Jett-Wolfe98, Zmusic2014, Secret Keeper, C, and Mystery Guest!**

**C: Thank you! :D You're awesome! So glad you enjoyed!**

**Secret Keeper: Yay for fluff! :D I'm glad you're enjoying; I hope being unsure is a good thing! I promise to explain all in the end. :) Thank you so much for the review; it's great to hear from you!**

**Guest: Whoever you are, thank you a thousand times. Seriously, you have no idea how much that brightened my day! You are awesome, and I hope you have the best time in South America! I'm so excited for you! I want to hear about all the cool stuff you see and do! :D And thank you again! :) :) :)**

**I know this story is mainly Mayan culture, but… Interesting fact for you: the Aztecs, by tradition, did not fight at night! This is completely irrelevant, but I thought that was really interesting. That was part of the reason they were defeated during the siege of Tenochtitlan! **

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

The Temple had been only minutes away. The jaguar had disappeared the moment they knew which path they were on. It was odd, but they didn't have time to think about that right now. With the extra time they had saved by following the big cat, they might be able to catch the _Gondolin_ so they could explain to everyone what a barking lunatic Dmitri was and put a stop to whatever sinister plans he had in mind.

That's what Deryn hoped for, at least.

She, Alek, and Cocijo stopped just on the edge of the jungle, now facing the left side of the temple. From here they could see the airfield, and the _Gondolin_.

She knew she should be glad to see it, but seeing it still completely anchored made Deryn's stomach uneasy. True, they were hoping to catch them, but it seemed too easy. Like bait in a trap.

"Something's not right," she said.

"What are you talking about? Now we don't have to ride on the back of a bird!" Alek answered cheerily as he made his way out of the jungle.

But Deryn grabbed his hand and stopped him. Cocijo came up beside her and gave her a quizzical look.

"No, something's wrong! They should be gone by now, or at least getting ready to go. The ship's still completely tied down!"

"Maybe they're just running behind schedule. Or waiting for us," Alek suggested.

"Yes," Cocijo agreed. "The jaguar would not have led us into danger!"

Deryn remembered from her dream the previous night and didn't feel better.

"But we can't just go back in there!" she said. "Dmitri was probably wondering where we were today! And what if we bump into him in there?" She shuddered to think of the things he might do.

"Then we'll be sneaky," Cocijo said affirmatively. "We can get in through the window in your room. The only thing near it is the lab and we can get to it from the ground."

"I'm with you, Deryn. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Alek added, squeezing her hand.

She looked at them both, realizing one way or another they were going to go inside, and conceded.

Cocijo stepped out first, then motioned for Alek and Deryn to follow. They made their way silently around the side of the Temple, stopping just next to the front steps.

Cocijo peeked around the corner, bow at the ready in case of any Eagle Warriors or guards, but returned with a confused look on his face.

"They're not out here," he said quietly."In fact, I don't see any sign of anyone."

The nervous feeling in Deryn's stomach didn't let up.

"Perhaps they're just getting ready to go," Alek offered optimistically.

"Yes, perhaps," Cocijo answered, though he didn't look entirely convinced. "We should still go in through your window, Deryn, just to be safe."

She nodded at him and led them towards the side where her room was.

The window in Deryn's room was small, but they managed to squeeze through. They landed without a sound into the quiet, shadowy stillness. Immediately, Deryn set about to collecting things they would need from her drawers. She handed Alek a new shirt.

"Here," she said. "You'll be cooler in this."

He gratefully took it and set about to unbuttoning his buttons, turning away. Deryn took a pair of trousers and a shirt for herself and rushed over behind the small changing curtain.

Her fingers buttoned the white shirt deftly. The trousers were nice, much sturdier than linen pants for certain, though not as comfortable or cool. They were her favorite pair from the _Leviathan_, but they were too loose on her now. Hardly eating anything but fruit and chocolate and hours spent running through the jungle were to blame for that. She emerged from behind the curtain and rifled through her drawers until she found her suspenders.

"Right," she said, clipping them on. "Cocijo, what do you have to get?"

"Something we're going to need in Africa. It's in the third drawer in the dresser in my room," he said, cracking the door open slightly to check for any signs of people in the halls. "You two can stay down here; I'll be right back."

Moments after Cocijo left, the monkeys down the hall began screeching like never before. Alek nearly jumped through the roof.

"They're almost as terrible as those awful howler monkeys!" he said.

Granted, they weren't even remotely close to being as loud as the howlers, but still, it was an awful lot of noise. Something was certainly riling them up.

"Aye, they sound barking awful," she answered. "I've never heard them like that before. I'm going to see what the matter is."

"I'll come with you," Alek stated firmly.

Deryn dug in her bag for her keys to the lab. Once she had them, she made her way to the door, Alek following close behind. She opened it slowly, looking this way and that. The hall was unusually empty and dark.

She unlocked the door to the lab, slipping the key back into her pocket. She switched on the light, illuminating the room. Everything was in its place, just as she left it. She moved over to the monkeys quickly, trying to quiet them down. But they would not be calmed. They were looking past her, jumping about and pointing over towards the box where she had left the eggs...

The Project! How could she forget? She rushed over, tore the lid off and found the eggshells cracked and empty. She turned back around and looked at the monkeys. Whatever had hatched, they had seen it, and that must have been what had disturbed them so. But where was it?

"It's gone," she said aloud.

Alek came next to her and looked into the empty box. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Gone indeed," Dmitri said. "You're back later than I expected." He entered the room casually, shoving at Cocijo, whose hands were bound behind his back. He had a bit of blood coming from his nose, and looked rather roughed up.

Deryn looked up and saw the boy, and immediately rushed to him. She was stopped by Dmitri's walking stick, and a taunting, "Ah ah ah! Come any nearer and I will break his neck."

She didn't step any further. "Cocijo, are you all right? What's he done to you?"

"You need not worry about that, Miss Sharp. Merely took a tumble down the stairs," he said, not even trying to mask the obvious lie.

"Let him go!" she demanded.

"I will do no such thing, thank you." He hooked the stick through the rope around Cocijo's hands and pulled him away from Deryn.

The monkeys screamed again, reminding her of the eggs. "Where is it? What have you done with it?" she asked in an accusatory tone.

"Really, Deryn; do you think I would destroy something I, _you_, have worked so hard for these past two years? You should know me better than that by now, my dear! I have taken it to a safe place. You simply could not be trusted with it."

She glared at him.

He looked at her suspiciously. "You came back her to destroy my life's work, didn't you?"

She glared at him. "You're barking mad!" she shouted. "Let Cocijo go!"

His temper flared and he reached out to slap her across the face but his hand was stopped mid-air by Alek.

"Keep your hands to yourself," he stated through gritted teeth.

Dmitri wiggled out of Alek's grip, looking slightly flustered. Alek stayed there between them still as stone, unmoving. Him just being there made Deryn feel safer, more confident, and braver. She and Alek easily could have given Dmitri a run for his money, but he would undoubtedly use Cocijo as leverage. Coward.

"Where is everyone?" Alek asked.

"I assure you they are perfectly safe. For now," he added with a wicked smirk. "A bit ruffled that they had to leave early, but such things cannot be helped."

"What did you do with them?" Deryn demanded.

"I have merely saved them from the barbaric rebels coming this way. We're leaving on the _Gondolin_ quite soon."

She stared at him angrily in confusion and disbelief. "You're a sodding lunatic."

"That is enough, thank you," he retorted, keeping a handle on his temper. "With those barbaric rebels fast-approaching, they will see me as a hero. We're going to be taking off just in time to avoid them, a fate I'm afraid you will not share," he said calmly, inspecting his fingernails.

"What do you want?" Alek interrupted.

"That doesn't concern you or Miss Sharp, I'm afraid, Your Highness. Doctor Sharp, I hereby dismiss you from my services. You are free to go," he said nonchalantly.

She moved towards him, but Dmitri grabbed Cocijo by the neck and his grip on the boy's throat tightened with each step she took.

"Let him go!" she pleaded. "Please!"

"Deryn!" Cocijo gasped. "The third drawer," was all he managed to get out.

"Do not speak that barbaric language in my presence, heathen!" He threw the boy onto the ground.

"I am not afraid of you or to die," Cocijo spat. He was putting on a front; Deryn could see from the way his knees were shaking the poor boy was terrified.

Dmitri scoffed as he lifted the boy effortlessly by the nape of his neck. "You will see in time, boy, just what a good thing the latter is. Goodbye, Deryn and Prince Aleksandar. Have a wonderful rest of your day," he said in a pleasant tone as he nodded in their direction.

And with that he slammed the door shut and the _click!_ of the lock was heard. Deryn ran to the door, trying to open it back up and chase him, but the knob wouldn't budge.

"Stupid, sodding, clart-covered bum-rag!"

"Deryn!" Alek called.

She ignored him and continued shaking the door knob and spewing out every curse she'd ever learned.

"Deryn, Deryn!" Alek took her by the shoulders and spun her around so she was facing him.

"We have to go-"

"Deryn! Breathe."

Thoroughly distraught, she took a shaky breath. "We have to go after them. I promised Cocijo I would look after him-"

"It's all right!" Alek said firmly. Truthfully, he didn't have any idea what the outcome of the situation would be, but he needed her calm. "They're going on the _Gondolin_, Deryn. Klopp and Bauer are there; I know they'll watch out for him."

He was right. Even though she was used to having him with her constantly, Cocijo could take care of himself. And he might even be able to warn the crew of the _Gondolin_ of what was happening. Alek gently ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to soothe her.

After a moment, he smoothed a piece of hair from her forehead. "Are you all right?"

She inhaled again, calmer. "Aye. But we can't just let that bum-rag take him!"

"Of course not. Since there's no chance we're going on the _Gondolin_, we should find the aviary and get going."

"How are we going to get out of here? Dmitri locked the barking door!"

Still holding onto her, Alek calmly answered, "Deryn, you unlocked the door when we came in here. You have a key."

Deryn had completely forgotten. She felt in her pocket. "Oh, right!" She went about retrieving them and unlocking the door.

Just then Deryn remembered what Cocijo had told her before he was taken. "We have to go to his room first, to get what he was looking for."

One of the monkeys let out a screech. "And we should let them out, first; I don't mean to come back here and it's not right to let them starve."

Alek reluctantly nodded. She remembered how twitchy he had gotten in the jungle when the howler monkeys were at their finest. Deryn unclipped each of the locks but left the doors only slightly ajar for his sake. They'd figure it out, once they really wanted to get out of their cages. And it was better than leaving them locked up to die.

"You're awfully calm, beastie," Deryn began, listening for Bovril's response. "Bov?" When she heard nothing, she looked around.

A look of realization dawned on Alek's face. "Bovril's in Cocijo's bag," he said dumbly. "Before we came in here, remember?" Bovril hated rain with a passion, so Cocijo had placed the loris gently into his bag to keep it dry. Bovril had fallen asleep, so the boy hadn't bothered waking the loris back up.

"Barking spiders," Deryn cursed softly.

"He had his bag with him, though. I saw it across his chest."

"I hope they're all right," she said.

Alek touched her arm reassuringly. "They're smart, both of them. I know they'll be fine."

She nodded as she moved towards the door. "All right, we've got to go upstairs and then we can go."

Thankfully, Cocijo's room wasn't far at all from hers. The short walk there, however, proved the entire building had been thoroughly vacated. There was no sign of anyone anywhere.

Dmitri must have found him in the hall, because when they got to his room, the door was shut and everything inside in perfect order.

Squatting down in front of his dresser, Deryn rifled through his things. A few pairs of trousers, shirts, unsharpened arrowheads, but nothing worth coming all the barking way back here for. She emptied the entire thing to find nothing of significance.

"What is he talking about…?" she said to herself. She tugged at the bottom to see if the wood would come loose but it didn't.

"Perhaps if we pull it out completely…" Alek suggested as he sat beside her and did just that. He gave it a yank at the end, and sure enough the drawer came right out, leaving the small, empty space. He looked at Deryn as he cautiously reached his hand inside. He jumped back with a small cut on his palm. "Whatever it is," he said, reaching back in with his good hand, "its sharp."

He brought it back out with a strange sort of sword. It was barking amazing that Cocijo had managed to sneak it in here. It was three feet long at least and a handbreadth wide. Dmitri wouldn't have allowed such a thing. It was wooden, but had sharp little points on the edges; it reminded Deryn of a bread knife. It was ugly.

"What is it?" Alek asked, examining the weapon.

"I think it's called a maquahuitl. It's like a cross between a sword and a club," she answered. She had only seen one once before, and that was in the hand of one of the Eagle Warriors from when they first landed in Tikal. It was a traditional Mayan weapon, one used only by warriors. Not just a weapon for fighting; its blades were sharp and ragged; these sort of weapons were in the business of maiming and scarring. "They're barking brutal," she added.

Alek nodded. "It looks it. Did he get it from his father, perhaps?" he asked, still studying it.

"He must have. I've no idea how he managed to sneak it in here, though. Is your hand all right?"

Alek nodded. It was a very shallow cut and the bleeding had stopped. Still, Deryn took a strip of cloth and tied it around his palm. "So it doesn't get worse," she said as she stood up. She took the maquahuitl, carefully wrapped it in the pillowcase from Cocijo's bed, and stuck it flat against her back, being held there by the leather strap of her bag.

"Let's go."

She led him back down the hall but through the dining room this time. "We'll go out the main door."

If she had been paying attention, she might have noticed a jaguar, the very same one that had led them there, sitting on the dining room table helping itself to the remnants of the uneaten dinner. She was, however, walking too fast and was too focused to notice. Alek noticed, but didn't want to alarm her. He stared at it for a minute, nervous it might not appreciate the intrusion, but it only looked up at him as it gnawed on a bone. He thought of the tapestry he and Doctor Barlow had been looking at when they had first arrived.

Deryn pulled open the large door, bringing them out onto the top step. There was a strange sort of sound, a fast, steady drumming coming from all angles. They weren't musical drums, though; these sounded more like….

"War drums," she said.

And within a moment, they were greeted by hundreds of Eagle Warriors bursting through the jungle, torches and various weapons in hand.

Deryn didn't waste a moment looking at them; she began moving down the stairs as quickly as she could. Alek followed and the two of them jumped when they were down far enough not to be hurt by the fall. She led him around the temple to a path he hadn't been on before.

It led to a large garden, passing bushes and plants and trees into an enormous cornfield. The drums were getting closer, as were the yells and war cries of the warriors. They'd noticed them, and they were closing in fast.

They began running through the cornfield, the cries of the rebels not far behind. For a moment, the only sound he could hear was the rustling they were making. It was eerie, like the calm before a storm. It was difficult, having the corn stalks in their path, so Alek latched onto Deryn's hand, for fear he should lose her. More rustles came from behind them, getting closer and closer.

Alek yelled, "How far is it to the aviary?"

She yelled back, "We're not going to make it in time; we can't outrun them!"

They came to an abrupt halt at a spot where two paths crossed.

"Deryn.." Alek said.

"I know! I'm trying to remember which way…" she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

But she was interrupted by a loud battle cry from particular warrior who was faster than the rest. He jumped from the left, surprising them. Alek shoved Deryn out of the way just in time, and just as the man's maquahuitl was about to land on Alek, he was thrown away by a blur of yellow spotted fur. Alek stood there frozen, terrified as the man's screams were heard over the growling of the cat only a few feet away. The jaguar, the very same one that had led them there and had been eating from the dining room table only moments ago, moved from the man once his screams had ceased. It looked at Alek for a moment, magnificent cat eyes studying him. He was still shocked; he couldn't have moved if he wanted to. The jaguar ran back the way it came.

Alek felt Deryn take his hand and pull him to the right. "It's this way!" And in a moment they were on the edge of a very tall cliff.

She pulled out a whistle on a string from around her neck. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course-"

She grabbed his hand. "Then jump!"

And so they fell over the cliff. For a moment, Alek felt like he was flying. It was only for a moment, though, for the fast-approaching, rocky bottom brought him back to reality. He heard a strange, high-pitched sound; Deryn must have blown the whistle, and within a moment, they were scooped up by a blur of brown and gold, knocking the wind straight out of Alek's chest.

He gasped for a moment, then regained his breath. Deryn was holding onto him tightly while she was hanging onto a sort of strap that went around the bird's chest; a harness-like apparatus. They were on the back of Amidamaru, flying through the air. The bird glided downward at first, then shot straight back up, rising over the cliff and the cornfield. Alek pulled himself up next to Deryn, who was still holding onto him, so he could look.

Alek could see the fire from the rebels, who seemed to be torching anything that would burn. He wondered if they would see the _Gondolin _in flight_, _but there was no sign of it. A part of the cornfield was burning. He was quite grateful that they were not down there.

Gaining altitude, he could see the entire Tikal complex as they flew over it. The temple they had been in wasn't the only one; there were several other, smaller temples. The Jaguar Temple they had been in, however, was definitely the largest. It rose far above all of the others and seemed to be what the Warriors on the ground were most concerned with.

He wrapped his arm around Deryn's waist, nervous about the precarious way she was balancing herself. She looked surprisingly peaceful. This was where Deryn was happiest: flying. Still, though, after all he'd done to get her back in the jungle, he wasn't about to let her just fall and lose her forever.

She turned to him.

"Are you all right?" she yelled.

Talking over the wind was difficult, so he simply nodded.

"We'll be in Rio de Janeiro soon, then we'll stop and get situated. It's a long ride to Africa."

He nodded again.

"Alek?" she hollered.

He turned to her once more. "Yes?"

"Thank you for coming… I'm glad you're here."

He smiled at her. "Me, too."

Onward they went to the deep, mysterious, and dark heart of Africa: Belgian Congo.


	20. Inconvenient Complications II

**Jett-Wolfe98: I just wanted to post this on here, because you're so awesome: Your passionate, undying love of Bauer is inspirational. You are awesome. I promise he has a good part coming up. :D**

**Thank you Barking Lizards, 321, jubblitmuffins3675, Middy Miles, Jett-Wolfe98, and Guest! Each of you is wonderful and lovely and I appreciate your thoughts beyond words!**

**Guest: Whoever you are, you are the sweetest and I am so flattered! Truthfully, though, I'm just a copy cat and am inspired by my favorite authors! I have a big section of thanks yous dedicated to them at the very end of this story. :) I'm thinking of starting a beta profile soon, too! You are awesome and I hope to hear what you think of this chapter!**

****I'm going to warn you canonical nit-pickers (Whom I love!) right now: This is going to seem very out-of character. But this is how I imagine Volger. :)**

**Also, I would like to explain this a little. It might seem non-canonical to some, but in my mind, Volger isn't all bad. In fact, I find him incredibly intriguing. **

**When I was reading **_**Leviathan**_**, I kept expecting Volger to drop a huge hint to explain his mysterious background. Maybe I'm totally wrong and he's just a crabby guy, but I like to think he has a reason for his no-nonsense, somewhat haughty antics. Not to say that anyone with good reason can act however they want, but I think he's got a great story behind that mustache and his cheeky demeanor. :) **

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

Volger and Hoffman sat in the carriage, awaiting the last of the valuables to be loaded onto the back. Volger sighed.

_Revolutions can be so tiresome_, he thought to himself while looking out the window.

The revolutionaries had only gotten more restless after Alek had left. They didn't know he had gone to Tikal, or they wouldn't have stormed the palace. If he had been here, Volger might not have been able to protect him... The man sat back and felt thankful he had sent Alek away.

The Count let out a hoarse, ugly cough into the handkerchief he held over his mouth. The delicate white cloth left with a big splotch of red.

Hoffman scowled from the seat across from him. "We shouldn't be leaving," he said.

"Oh, and should we have just stayed in _there_?" said Volger, voice dripping with sarcasm. He motioned towards the currently burning palace; it was an inferno.

"We should have moved to the countryside and continued your treatments!" Hoffman said angrily. "Count, if we go to Africa now, the travelling could kill you!"

Volger looked up at him wearily. "I don't think anything can stop that now. This sickness has wracked my body for six months and is showing no desire to leave. I must accept my fate," he muttered bitterly. "Besides, you are mistaken. The physician thinks warm weather could ease my breathing."

The men outside loaded the last of the luggage onto the back and the carriage began moving.

"They say he's a brilliant doctor, you know," Hoffman said, softly. "The Italian. Perhaps he could help you!"

Volger looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was considering this notion, then said slowly, "Aleksandar's well-being must come before my own. It is my duty."

Hoffman's face fell.

The Count continued, "But yes. Perhaps we could ask, once we make sure the prince is safe."

Hoffman nodded.

The two men gazed out the window in silence, watching the palace burn as they rode away.

_"Ernst! Please, don't do this," the woman pleaded. "I want to be with you. I want all of us to be together." Her hand rested gently on the protruding curve of her stomach._

_"You and I both know there is a better future for both you and our child without me," he said while idly moving some papers around the desk, trying not to let his voice show his pain. The handsome, young Count paused. "Esmé, I wanted nothing more than for it to work, for us to be together… But my duty must come first."_

_Tears began to fall from her eyes. "I loved you," she said._

_He looked at her. He wanted to say it back, every fiber of his being wanted to declare his love for her from the rooftops, but he couldn't give her false hope. It would never work: he had sworn himself to the services of his friend, the archduke. And the archduke and his wife were about to have a son of their own, whom he had sworn to mentor and teach until he reached adulthood. He wouldn't have time for marriage or a child of his own. And he couldn't tell Franz. Oaths were impossible to get out of; relationships were much easier to end. It pained him when his father pointed out that he only had one choice._

_Their romance was doomed from the beginning, really: a count with a commoner. One descended from gypsies, at that. But she wasn't like the other commoners he had been taught to treat as though they were below him! She was smart and clever; and so, so beautiful. She was fierce and strong, not afraid to speak her mind. He felt happiness and joy he never knew existed when he was around her. _

_She would have been the perfect Countess, but his father had forbidden it from the start. It didn't matter much by the law, but it was Volger's that took an instant distaste to her simply because of her heritage. Sometimes Ernst wished he would have heeded his father's advice and had never gotten involved. He might have never known true love or joy, but it would have saved them both from this terrible heartache, the difficulties that undoubtedly lie in wait ahead._

_"This was a mistake," she hissed while wiping the tears from her eyes. "It should have never happened." _

_Her words stung. "Yes, I do agree," he answered slowly._

_She moved towards the door. "This is it, you know. You will never see me or the child again."_

_He hesitated, but nodded after a moment. "Esmeralda," he added once they were outside. She mounted onto her horse and turned to look at him. "Please, don't tell him. Don't ever tell the child who I am."_

_She hesitated for a moment, setting her jaw to hold back the tears. "He won't even know your name." She rode off without looking back._

And just like that, Ernst Volger had let the love of his life walk away.

Not a day went by that he didn't wonder what life would have been like if he had stayed and assumed his responsibilities to the woman he loved and their child. In the beginning, he had thought that perhaps having Alek around to teach and watch over would fill the void of his own son, but it didn't. Alek already had a father; he didn't need another one. He didn't even like Volger that much anyways. And Volger only saw him with animosity; as his responsibility. If he hadn't vowed to take care of him, he might be with his own family.

But that wasn't Alek's fault.

In some ways, Volger envied Franz and Sophie as well. Franz was courageous, submitting himself to humiliations from the court and his own country for marrying a commoner. Alek adored him, and he and Sophie were in love. Sophie was strong and brave, too; she had the courage to fight for what she loved, reminding Volger every day of his own lack thereof. That added to his bitterness greatly.

It wasn't that he didn't want Alek to be happy; it was that he envied him. He had inherited the courage from his parents to endure, to face social humiliation and break tradition. The Count was jealous of that trait. It wasn't right of him; he vowed to Franz and Sophie that he would always watch out for him and make sure he was happy. And he hadn't been happy on the throne; he was, in fact, quite miserable.

He always had tried to always push Alek to do his very best; his own son, after all, would not be so fortunate. The life of a boy with no father wasn't an easy one. It irritated him to no end that Alek would toss away everything he had worked towards for a common girl. If only he knew what Volger had sacrificed, then perhaps he would reconsider.

Then again, perhaps not.

Volger could see it in the way they looked at each other, the idiotic grins accompanied by that excruciating cheerfulness – Alek and Deryn were deeply in love. A sort of love Volger recognized; one that he once knew himself. Something he had once enjoyed and savored greatly himself now only left a sour taste in his mouth.

But bitterness had taken a toll on his mind and body; he could carry this burden no longer. He was dying, after all; if he was going to pass away, he needed to know who his child was. He couldn't die without knowing who his son was, without giving Esmeralda the apology she deserved.

He needed to right the wrong choice he made twenty years ago. He owed it to Alek, and to his son.

**Keep a lookout for the next half of this story, Congo! And thank you to everyone that's read/reviewed! Each of you is amazing and encouraging! :)**


	21. CONGO

**So I decided to just stick the second half of the story in with this one; it seemed to make more sense and that it would just be easier to keep track of it. :)**

**I'm sorry it's taken a long time for this: I've had the ending written out for a while, and I write my stories backwards, so I've been working on the beginning for a while. Here it is, and I hope it proves satisfactory. :) **

**THANK YOU to all of my faithful readers/reviwers! **

**EllieStone, Jett-Wolfe98, Sassysplash, Middy Miles, Knight Mistress, Zmusic2014, C, 321, Barking Lizards, jibblitmuffins3675, Secret Keeper1095, Katniss is boss, Jett, Daft Prince, stopthattimerave, Silentmaid118, Obsessed-With-Obsessions555, TabbySparks, Winterowl312, and estefania: Thank you all so much for your encouragement, criticism, and awesome reviews on Tikal! I thank each of you a thousand times for helping shape this story. Each of you is amazing. Reading your reviews and encouragement made me smile and my heart very happy!**

**And the rest of the story is coming; it just needs tweaking here and there. :) **

**All original storyline and characters belong to Scott Westerfeld! I own nothing.**

Cocijo opened his eyes, his head hurting from the bright light. He slowly adjusted to the brightness and saw above him a ceiling; an ugly, metal ceiling. The ground beneath him felt cold and hard and almost unsteady, almost as though it was moving.

He slowly sat up and examined his surroundings. There were piles of boxes here and there, and his bag in front of his feet. The top was wide open and its contents strewn about. He sighed, and felt glad he didn't have his father's maquahuitl with him; Dmitri definitely would have taken it.

Hopefully Deryn had it, and hopefully she and Alek were all right.

There was a small, round window on the wall in front of him; he could see sky and clouds going by. He was flying, but in what? This wasn't like any of the airships that belonged to the UDSRM. Was he on the _Gondolin? _

He moved through the maze of boxes and tried the door, but it was locked. He searched around the room for another exit, but all there seemed to be was the window, and he certainly wasn't going to jump. He probably couldn't have fit even he wanted to anyway.

He was trying the doorknob again when he heard a sound, a _thump!_

And who should be tumbling onto the floor but the perspicacious loris.

"Bovril!" Cocijo said. He had forgotten completely about putting the beastie in his bag. "You clever little stowaway!"

The creature shook its head dizzily and scurried over to him.

"I'm glad to see you," Cocijo said as he stroked it behind the ears. "Where have you been?"

Bovril answered, "Sneaking off and sneaking back."

Cocijo chuckled. "Is there a way out of here, Bovril? We should try to find help!" Really, he didn't know what he was going to do once they found someone, but Alek had come to Tikal on this ship, so there must have been good people aboard somewhere.

The creature continued to purr as he petted it, then jumped down from his arms. It led him over to the spot from which it had entered, right on the side of the wall. It was apparently a ventilation shaft, and quite a wide one at that. Cocijo pushed a box against the wall and climbed up, pulling himself into the square space. He followed Bovril around the corners, crawling on his hands and knees over the open grates of the kitchen, the hallway, and even the entrance to the bridge. Bovril stopped every once in a while for Cocijo to catch up, and finally stopped at an ornate iron lattice, one that was located at the bottom of a sort of slope. Cocijo stayed at the top, for fear it would be too obvious if he were up against the grate like Bovril. He could hear very well at the top of the slope, so it didn't matter.

There were several voices, one of which seemed to be speaking German now and then. Not that Cocijo could understand it, but he recognized it. All of the voices were talking over each other in frantic whispers, until they were silenced by one that definitely belonged to a lady.

"Gentlemen, _please!_" She spoke in an English accent; Cocijo would know one anywhere.

"If you will simply cease talking over each other perhaps we could come up with something!"

A voice with an accent unlike the lady's or Alek's or Deryn's spoke. "Doctor Barlow," the man said. "Perhaps Bauer and myself could speak to the captain-" He stopped midsentence, as if to listen to something.

To listen to Bovril, actually. The loris was scratching at the grate, trying to open it. If it kept it up, their hiding spot would be revealed! Cocijo reached and snapped for Bovril, who simply stared back at him with large eyes, unmoving. He strained, only another inch and he'd have the loris in hand, but he leaned forward too far and slid down the slippery metal slope instead, crashing through the grate and into the room.

Everyone stared at Cocijo. Bovril sat atop his head, then jumped off and onto the desk. There was another loris, which looked like Bovril but its fur was much darker. Bovril looked back at him and said, "Help," proudly.

There were four men in the room, and the lady. They were looking at Cocijo with surprised expressions, all except for the lady. She merely sat down at the desk and said, "Hello. Is there something we can do for you?"

Cocijo cleared his throat. "Um, hello. I'm sorry for interrupting your …meeting."

"It's quite all right, my dear boy. Would you mind telling us exactly why you were sneaking about in the ceiling?"

"I was following the loris. I woke up a few rooms over and tried to get out, but the door was locked. Bovril found me and led me here. We were trying to find help."

"Help? What for?" the man with the funny accent said.

"For Alek and D-"

"Alek? Aleksandar?" said an older looking man, who was rather large.

Cocijo nodded. "Yes, I work with Deryn and-"

"Deryn? Deryn Sharp?" said the youngest looking of them. He had an unusual amount of freckles and an accent that sounded quite English.

"Yes," Cocijo started again. "We were on our way to Africa, but Dmitri caught me and I guess he brought me here. And Bovril, too."

The lady didn't look impressed. "Well, then. What is your name?"

He cleared his throat and stood. "Cocijo, ma'am. And you?"

"You may refer to me as Doctor Barlow." She motioned to the man with the strange accent and said, "This is Doctor Harker," who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said over his round glasses.

"Mr. Klopp," she continued, motioning to the larger, older man. He smiled warmly at Cocijo. "_Guten tag!"_ he said. The man beside him, who was younger looking and had a small mustache and an especially kind face said, "Hello. I'm Bauer, Cocijo. It's nice to meet you. Please excuse my friend; he doesn't speak English very well."

"And I'm Mr. Newkirk," the freckled man said enthusiastically. The lady looked at him with annoyed expression, as if he had no business introducing himself at all.

Cocijo nodded. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"Yes, and likewise," the lady answered quickly. "Now, Cocijo, would you mind telling us what you were doing in Tikal before you ended up on the _Gondolin_?"

"I was leaving with Alek and Deryn. We were going to go to Africa, so we find out what Dmitri was planning with the Project and stop him. We came back to the Temple to get something, but Dmitri took me away from them."

"But he did nothing to Alek and Deryn?" Bauer asked.

"No," Cocijo answered. "He let them go, actually."

"Why?" Newkirk asked.

Cocijo opened his mouth to speak but wasn't sure of the answer himself. Why hadn't Dmitri bothered with them? It wasn't that he wished he had, but it didn't make sense why he hadn't. Surely they were far more interesting than a mere boy and a loris.

"I-I don't know," he said after thinking for a moment. "He brought me down to the lab where they were and told Deryn they were free to go."

"Interesting," Doctor Barlow said slowly. "This is the same lab where the fabrication Dmitri has been so excited about was being kept?"

"Yes," Cocijo said. "Did it hatch?"

"It did indeed, but none of us saw it. Dmitri boxed it up immediately and has it under lock and key down the hall. But gentlemen, let us focus on the task at hand. Cocijo, what do you know of Dmitri Shchavelsky?"

Cocijo thought of him for a moment. He didn't have time to be elaborate so he said, "He's a wicked man. Deryn and I have been working on that fabrication for the past two years and though I don't know what he is planning to do with it, I do not think it is good. We have to stop him."

"I'm glad we agree, son!" Doctor Harker said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"We all believe he's gone mad, for lack of a better term," Doctor Barlow added. "Nearly everyone on board agrees. We have decided it is up to us to stop him."

"What are you going to do?" Cocijo asked.

Everyone blinked at him.

"Well, it doesn't appear to be as simple as it might sound," Doctor Barlow explained. "Dmitri and Aurielo, the man who funded this expedition in the first place, are on very good terms. If we told him any of our suspicions, he would hear none of it."

Cocijo remembered Aurielo from Africa. He seemed very kind; he surely must not have known Dmitri's true intentions, whatever they were.

Then an idea dawned on him. "Who is the captain of this ship?"

"Captain Dakkar," Doctor Barlow said. "He is currently in the bridge."

"Can't he just change the direction of the ship, so it won't land where it's supposed to?"

"See, we thought of that," Doctor Harker said. "But Aurielo likes to sit in the bridge to watch the scenery, as does Dmitri. If we tried anything like that, he would know."

The man called Bauer seemed to understand what Cocijo was thinking. "We could land in Morroco," he suggested. "There is a British Consulate there. We'll have Dakkar say there was engine trouble."

"Yes," Doctor Harker said while nodding. "Yes, that will work!"

"Excellent," Doctor Barlow said. "Gentlemen, I will leave you to it." The men all nodded and exited the room. Cocijo stood up to leave also, but was stopped when Doctor Barlow said, "Ah, my dear boy, please stay."

He sat back down.

"Yes?"

"Perhaps," Doctor Barlow said, "while they're out executing a clandestine mutiny, you could find out about that fabrication."

He looked at her. "Didn't you just say the room it's in is locked?"

She looked up at the wall, towards the grate Cocijo had fallen through. "There is more than one way through a locked door, my dear boy. If you would, I would appreciate it ever so much."

He caught on to what she was saying and looked at Bovril, who was currently in deep concentration with the other loris. "What do you say, Bovril?"

The creature looked at him with an annoyed expression, apparently excused itself from the other loris, and ran back up to the ventilation shaft. Cocijo followed, making sure to tread carefully so he wouldn't slip again.

"If you don't come back in one hour, I shall send someone to look for you!" Doctor Barlow called from below. "We wouldn't want anything to go awry."

Cocijo poked his head out of the grate and nodded at her. She smiled at him kindly. "Thank you, Cocijo," she said. "Now go, quickly!" she said as she secured the grate back over the vent opening. "We haven't much time!"

They crawled about for some time, until Cocijo finally just sat. His head hurt and he felt overwhelmed. He sighed, wondering about the whole situation.

Bovril made a low, steady hissing sound. Cocijo looked at him curiously.

"Bovril, what are you doing?"

The loris continued to hiss, as if it was in a trance.

"Are you imitating something?"

Bovril didn't move for a moment, then shook its head. It ran off down the square tunnel to another iron lattice, one that led into an unfamiliar room. Cocijo peeked through the slots, making sure the room was vacant. When he was sure there was no one, he gently pushed on the grate until it fell down rather easily. _Shabby work,_ he thought to himself as he carefully lowered himself down.

He looked around. There were piles of books and various barrels strewn this way and that; it appeared to be a storage room, much like the one he woke up in. It looked quite ordinary, all except for the stool in the back. Sitting open on it, there was a large, thick book. The pages were yellowed and the binding fragile; it looked absolutely ancient. Cocijo cautiously peeked at it, nervous that simply looking too much would break its delicate pages into a thousand pieces.

There was an illustration at the bottom of the page, with four lines of words at the top. The words were not familiar to him. He saw the word _oculous_; it was Latin, perhaps? He had studied a bit of Latin in England, but had no chance to use it so he was out of practice. An idea came to him.

"Bovril!" he called. The loris poked its head up from a barrel with a cherry in its mouth and scurried over. He scooped it up and held it in his hands over the book. The creature stared down at the page in concentration.

"_Oculous,"_ Cocijo repeated, trying to help.

"Eyes," the creature answered after a moment.

"Eyes," Cocijo echoed. Next to that, he saw the word _viridis_, which he knew meant "green".

"Eyes green? That doesn't make much sense," the boy said aloud.

"Jade," Bovril corrected him.

"Jade? Yes, jade! Very good, Bovril! What about that one?" Cocijo asked as he pointed to the next line on the page.

But evidently, Bovril was out of practice with its Latin, too; for it didn't say another word and wriggled down from Cocijo's hands, scampering back towards the barrel. Either that or it just wasn't interested. Cocijo suspected the latter.

The illustration below the words was done in the Mayan fashion, though Cocijo didn't recognize it as one he'd seen before. It showed two men, each tied on their backs to a stone table. They had looks of utter terror on their faces. One of the boys looked perfectly Mayan; he had dark skin and hair and the typical nose. The other boy was fairer, with more European features, and had distinct jade-green eyes. Drops of red, presumably meant to be blood, were dashed from their hands to the middle, where a chalice sat on a stone. Above that stone was a cloud with a two terrible yellow eyes peering from it. And beside that was a man standing with a staff of gold in his hand, wearing an enormous, Mayan headdress. He looked like he was some sort of god, though he did not look particularly Mayan or European. The expression on his face was completely crazed.

This picture began to remind Cocijo of something one of his sisters had read to him once. It was a book about a princess who was put under a terrible spell by an old witch. The witch had used a book with words similar to this.

"It's a spell?" Cocijo asked himself. He frowned and closed the book. On the front, in fancy gold letters were the words _Carminibus de Alchimia._ Cocijo didn't have any idea what that meant.

"Noble blood," the loris said in a distinctly Russian voice from across the room. "Sacrifice."

Cocijo raised an eyebrow. "Sacrifice to what, Bovril?" He looked up to see the loris poised on the edge of a barrel, as if listening for something. Then it slithered off into the dark corner of the room. Cocijo got up, setting the book gingerly back down, open to the page he found it at, and followed.

He was led to an unusually large, wooden crate with thin slots on the sides. Cocijo noted its exceptional size; he had seen one like it before when Dmitri had hoped to transport a jaguar back to Africa, though, they were never able to find one. Bovril stopped in front of the large crate, then jumped onto the top and sat.

"Project," the loris said.

A strange sort of shuffling sound came from inside the box.

Cocijo jumped at the sound. He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. _There's no reason to be scared of something you can't see_, he thought, trying to reason with the growing sense of apprehension in his stomach.

The shuffling softened. He stepped forward silently, bent down, and looked in the slots as close as he dared. He saw nothing at first, causing him to relax just a bit. And then he noticed something in the corner.

Two big, yellow, serpentine eyes were staring back at him. It looked as though it was only a pair of eyes floating around in the darkness. They blinked at him.

He heard a low hissing sort of sound, and the eyes suddenly lunged. Cocijo's eyes widened and he jumped back as whatever tried to strike him continued to try to get through the box. The whole box shook, causing Bovril to fall onto the floor with a yelp.

It calmed after a moment, and Cocijo regained his breath and moved towards it again, but not as close. The thing made a strange sort of screech, and it began to throw itself about, shaking the crate, causing the boy to jump back yet again.

"Ah! What is it, Bovril?"

Bovril didn't answer.

Cocijo thought for a moment it might be hurt when he heard a strange sort of steady hiss, but then he saw something rather strange. There were colorful feathers pressed against the slots of the box. Those hadn't been there before. It seemed almost that the thing inside the box was forced up against the slots, like it suddenly had no room.

Whatever it was, it had apparently grown. Judging by Bovril having that sound memorized already, this wasn't the first time. And judging by the size of the box, it wasn't expected to be the last.

Bovril clung to Cocijo's front, then crawled up his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Quetzalcoatl."


	22. CONGO II

**Thank you, Zmusic2014, Knight Mistress, and Jett-Wolfe98! You are AWESOME! :D**

**So I've been reading about the Congo recently, and I came across two legends of the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu and ****Mokèlé-mbèmbé. If cryptzoology interests you, look it up! They supposedly live in the Congo River (it's the deepest river in the world!).**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

"Come on, Alek! We need to get going!"

Alek wiggled his way out from the middle of the group of children currently crowding around him, trying to sell small trinkets, and ran to catch up with Deryn.

The stop in Rio had been quick: they'd gotten a bit of food both for them and Amidamaru, and Alek posted a scrawled letter to Jaspert. And they rested for a few hours before the long trip to Africa. Really, it hadn't been nearly as terrible as Alek had anticipated, though flying on the back of a giant fabricated bird over endless ocean wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. He was glad they wouldn't have to do it again.

They'd landed in the city of Basoko just an hour earlier. They'd made good time from Rio de Janeiro; they'd gotten into Africa just before dawn. It had been a day and a half since Tikal.

Alek couldn't help but wonder about Cocijo and Bovril, hoping dearly that they were all right. He knew they were aboard the _Gondolin_ with Bauer and Klopp and Doctor Barlow, so if the boy could find them, he'd be in good hands. It was just the Dmitri situation that puzzled him. Cocijo had sworn up and down that no one else knew who his father was, and even so, why did that matter with Dmitri? Did he have a bone to pick, as it were, with Guatemala?

No doubt still recovering from the abuse by the Belgian Kingdom, the city of Basoko was clearly impoverished. Shanty shacks made from scraps of metal appeared to make up the majority of housing. Everything looked dark and dreary; the opposite from vibrant Tikal and Rio. Though it was still very early in the day and not a lot of people were out, the few that were looked thin and melancholy; their dark eyes had an emptiness to them. It was very unsettling, seeing people live in such conditions. And there was something disconcerting about there being absolutely no way for Alek or Deryn to blend in. Everywhere they went they people stopped and glared at them.

"Why are they looking at us so… Suspiciously?" Alek whispered to Deryn.

"They're wondering if we're Belgian," she answered in German. "So don't go speaking any barking French or you'll get us killed."

Alek knew little about Belgian Congo. He knew that Léopold II treated the natives horrendously; it had been talked about right after the king died years ago. He forced them to collect sap from the rubber trees for days on end, unknowingly giving it the name blood rubber, for a great number of people had died meeting his demands. He ravaged the land and its people. And while the king had died several years ago, the Belgian government still controlled the Congo. So he could understand why the locals might not be interested in having Belgian visitors.

It drizzled on and off while they walked out of the city. The sky was covered in clouds, making everything look gray and dim. They passed women and children carrying bundles on top of their heads, wearing several layers of skirts. The children seemed interested in the pale-skinned visitors walking by. A few ran up to them, smiling shyly, and tried to engage them in play. Their mothers shooed them away, not without passing disdainful looks to Alek and Deryn.

They continued down the path, houses becoming fewer and fewer, into a charred forest. Various animal bones scattered about and the eerie silence prompted Alek to clear his throat and ask, "You say he's not a witch doctor?"

Deryn shook her head. "No, not exactly. He's not evil, if that's what you're asking. It's just over there; you'll be able to see for yourself."

She was pointing over a hill they were currently standing at the base of. As they walked over the top, Alek saw a humble, round house, similar to the one they had stayed in the jungle in Tikal. As they got closer, he noticed its thatched roof and layers of brightly painted masks and various bones covering it.

"_Jambo, _Deryn!" came a loud, booming voice from behind them. Alek jumped.

Themba was an incredibly tall man. His skin and short hair were dark; white flashed when he smiled at them. He had wooden cuffs around his biceps and wrists; he carried a staff as tall as Alek. It had a few bones and feathers hanging from the top, as well as a round sort of ball, the size and color of an orange, but every time it moved it made a sound like a rattle. He was holding a basket with a few scraggly vegetables inside. His eyes seemed to lack the emptiness Alek had noticed earlier; they seemed to almost dance. On his shoulder there was a small, red-and-black-and-white monkey perched and looking at Alek with a curious expression, its head cocked sideways.

Deryn smiled up at the man. "Hello, Themba! This is Alek."

He looked down at Alek. "Oh! So _this_ is Aleksandar, is it? You're not Belgian, are you? I do not like Belgians."

Deryn interjected before he could answer. "No, he's Austrian!"

Themba studied him for a moment with a serious face, and then broke into a wheezy laugh. "Of course! It's not every day we have the chance to entertain Austrians, Asbel! Please, come inside," he said as he pulled back the grass curtain to his home.

The inside of the house was not quite as humble as the outside. It was well-constructed and had a fireplace, a table, and chairs. There was an open window that looked into the fairly good-sized kitchen, which had herbs hanging from the ceiling and colorful pots with various grasses poking out scattered this way and that. Themba rested his stick against the inside of the door, took the basket over towards the fireplace. The monkey crawled from his shoulder and up onto the table in front of Deryn.

"Oi, it feels barking nice to sit down. Hello, Asbel," she said as she gave the creature a piece of fruit. It turned to grin at Alek.

Seeing Asbel made Alek miss Bovril's chatter and nonsense talk. His shoulder felt bare without the loris' weight on it. The monkey looked at Alek curiously, chattering to him in monkey language. The monkey reached for his hand. He pulled away automatically, causing Asbel to screech in protest.

"He just wants to see your hands," Deryn explained. "He won't bite you."

Alek cautiously let the monkey pull his hand toward him again. He examined each of Alek's fingers thoroughly, turning his hand this way and that. Then he scurried off, chattering in monkey language.

"Your trip went well, I trust?" Themba said while tossing a few pieces of vegetable into the pot over the fire.

"Aye, well enough. Barely made it out of Tikal because of the barking rebels."

"They chased you?"

"Aye! We got stuck in the cornfield and one nearly got to Alek, but a jaguar got to him first. The rebel, that is."

"A jaguar, you say?"

" First one I've ever seen. It was barking big."

"Hmm," Themba said thoughtfully. "There is one of your party missing. Where is my friend Cocijo?"

"He's with Dmitri," she said quietly. "The nutter kidnapped him right before we left."

"Oh? He'll be all right," he said as he tossed more vegetables into the pot.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Because the _Gondolin_ has been spotted in Africa."

Alek's eyes widened. "It has? Where?" he asked.

Themba motioned with his knife. "Flying, but not in the direction to the UDSRM. To the North."

"The North?" Deryn muttered. "But if they were going North, they wouldn't even fly over Congo. How do you know?"

Themba smiled sagaciously. "The Long Grass told me."

"Ah," Deryn said.

"The Long Grass?" Alek asked, trying to sound more polite than skeptical.

"Yes!" he replied enthusiastically. "The wind hears all the secrets uttered in Africa, and is blown through all of the Long Grass all throughout the continent, passing its secrets. I heard it this morning."

"But why would they be going North?" he inquired.

Themba shrugged and Deryn said, "There's a British Consulate in Morocco. Maybe Cocijo told them what happened, and they decided to stop for help. I don't think Dmitri would give up that easily, though."

Alek didn't think so either. Now would be the perfect time for a perspicacious loris' opinion.

"They may be here yet," he said as he pulled a bubbling pot away from the fire. He poured the contents of the pot into two bowls and slid them in front of Alek and Deryn. "Here! Eat!"

The contents of the bowl was a brown sort of soup with bits of rice and vegetables floating here and there, and emitted a particularly nutty smell. It was quite good.

Themba talked while they ate. "Javier de Lorenza , the man Dmitri Shchavelsky began the USDRM with, disappeared mysteriously two years ago, right after you arrived in Africa, Deryn. You never met Javier, did you?"

Deryn looked up. "No, I don't believe I did."

"We'll never know what happened for sure, but I think Dmitri killed him. Or worse, fed him to one of his experiments."

Alek shuddered. "What sort of experiments?"

"Terrible things," Themba answered. "Things you do not want to know."

Alek took another sip of the soup as Themba continued.

"The man is obsessed with a dark magic called alchemy."

"Turning things into gold?" Alek asked.

"Not exactly, though that is what many people interested in the dark art try to do. Dmitri wasn't interested in that. When he first arrived in Africa, when I was a successful doctor, he came to me. He knew my past, which had great involvement with magic. He asked me to make him the most powerful man on earth; he wanted to be a god. I refused, as you can see," he said, holding up his hand. It was missing two fingers. "'No, I am not that kind of doctor anymore!' I told him. I want to help my people, not make more problems. So he said he would bargain with me, and told me to create something that would give him eternal life, an ancient flower of sorts."

"Could you have done it?" Alek blurted out without thinking.

"Of course I could have!" Themba answered incredulously. "If I had the right materials, that is. But I do not wish to assist selfish men in their endeavors. So he cast me out of my beloved village and told everyone I was a wicked maker of dark magic, and this is where I have been since."

"Oh! Speaking of which," Deryn said as she dug around in her bag. "I nearly forgot!"

She pulled out the two vials filled with the extract of the black orchid from Tikal and set them on the table.

"Ah! You remembered," Themba said with a smile. "Thank you."

"What have you been doing, since you've been out here?" Alek asked.

"Trying to sabotage him," he answered. "But I have had no success. He is always unpredictable. Look, I will show you," he said as he opened a window to the outside. In the distance, there was a large sort of structure.

Themba pointed in the direction of the structure. "This is what he makes my people do!" he said angrily. "Children! Women!"

As he got up to look closer, Alek saw it wasn't a mountain at all. But rather it layered, like the temples in Tikal…

Deryn's jaw dropped. "You mean _that's_ the barking temple? It looks like a sodding mountain!"

It indeed looked enormous. Twice the size of the Tikal temple easily.

"A temple?" Alek asked.

"Aye, the lunatic liked the one in Tikal so much he made them build one here. I had no idea it was going to be so barking big, though!"

"Indeed it is. He fed the people lies, saying that he would fix the things Léopold had done if they would help construct it. And they believed him!"

"How close is it?" Deryn asked, still shocked that it was so huge.

Themba looked grim. "About two miles. Across the River. It sits on the edge."

Deryn had an equally grim expression on her face. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. But luckily for you, I will lend you my canoe."

"But," she started. "They're not even landing here, right? So we don't need to go there anyways."

"They will be momentarily. Listen." They all stood in front of the window, watching the sky and listening. They heard a very soft, very low rumble, and saw a small, round thing falling to the ground right next to the Temple.

"There they are," he said simply.

Themba snatched up the vials and went into the kitchen with them. He hummed to himself cheerily.

Alek leaned to Deryn and asked, "Why would they take an escape pod?"

She looked pale. "I've no idea, none at all. Unless Dmitri figured out what they were trying to do…"

"_Wiwi nugi!"_

"What is he saying?" Alek whispered.

Deryn leaned in and whispered back, "That we're baboons."

There was a small cloud of colored smoke that burst out of the kitchen.

Alek nodded, and another _pop!_ followed by a larger cloud that floated out the window. _"Mimi apana!"_ Apparently finding himself quite funny, Themba broke into a hysterical, wheezy sort of laughter; Asbel joined in with monkey chattering.

"Here we are!" he exclaimed as he emerged from the kitchen holding a vial with a pair of tongs. "Pure essence of life." He held the vial in front of them so they could see. It had been reduced to a fraction of what it was before.

"That's it?" Alek said, looking at the clear liquid.

"Yes, of course it is!" Themba answered. "A little goes a long way!"

He shook up the few drops inside the vial and handed it to Deryn. "Take this. You might need it. Now, come on!" Themba said, stick in hand. Asbel climbed up onto his shoulder. "It would be best if we left now, while the sun is still high in the sky."

Alek took one of the bags and Deryn the other, tucking the vial safely into it.

Themba led them in the direction of where the pod had landed, until they came to the bank of the Congo River.

Deryn looked at the water anxiously. "Right," she said quietly.

"Do not be afraid, Deryn!" Themba said, "He's watching you!"

"What?"

He laughed. "Your father, girl! He lives in you, he lives in here," he said, poking her directly in the chest over her heart.

"..Right. Thank you, Themba, for everything," she said.

He smiled at them both. "Thank you for visiting me. Come again soon, yes?" Asbel chattered at them, smiling his monkey grin.

He waved to them as they walked down the slope towards the river bank.

"What was that about? What he said about your father?" Alek asked.

"I have no idea," Deryn answered. "He can be a bit cracked-"

Deryn stopped, staring down at the ground. In front of her was a large, three-toed footprint.

"What is it?" Alek asked, looking down at it. It was much larger than his foot; the size looked like it could belong to an elephant. And it was deep enough that water had begun to collect in it, making it an unusually deep puddle.

But she didn't answer. She instead continued down the bank until they reached a narrow canoe. The River itself looked incredibly still and quiet; there was not even a leaf floating on the water. It looked rather peaceful.

Grabbing a paddle from the boat, she said, "When we get into the water, and whatever you do, don't make any barking noise."

He picked up the other end of the canoe and set it down just as gently as she did into the water. It was quite far to the other side, but it also looked quite shallow, like they could simply wade across.

Alek frowned. "Deryn, why don't we just walk?"

"No!" she said sharply. "We can't touch the water."

Deryn paddled slowly, painstakingly slow, creating as little disturbance in the water as possible. Alek tried to do the same. The shallow look of the river proved to be deceitful; below them the water looked black and deep. From the shore, the water had seemed quiet and peaceful, but now that they were in the middle, the stillness was eerie and unsettling.

Then Deryn let down her paddle, but her hands must have been wet for it slipped a bit into the water before she caught it, making a small splash. She held it tightly and froze in place.

The water rippled next to Alek, softly at first, then became steady. Deryn's eyes went wide.

"Blisters. Paddle faster!" she hissed.

"I thought you said no talking?"

"It's too late! It's heard us now!"

Alek frowned, not sure at all what she was talking about, but paddled faster anyway. Just after a moment, he saw something out of the corner of his eye move. He turned quickly to look but it was gone, only leaving behind more ripples in the water.

"Deryn," he whispered.

He didn't have to elaborate. "I know! Don't stop; we're nearly there."

There was a glimmer of movement again; this time he was quick enough to catch it. He turned to see a ridged back skim through the water just next to the boat. The ridge was a sort of spiny sail, and quite tall. Alek shuddered to think of what the rest of the creature looked like.

Deryn tossed a stone as far as she could, and naturally, the creature swam off to inspect the sudden splash. Madly they paddled through the water.

A growl came from behind them, but they didn't stop. Deryn jumped out the boat the moment the shore was close enough and hauled it up on the bank. Alek jumped out and followed her as she took off running.

She kept moving, expertly dodging branches here and there. They arrived in a small, freshly cut cornfield, where she stopped to catch her breath.

A vengeful, deep roar came from the direction of the river. It was loud and booming, like a train slamming on its breaks without enough time to stop.

"Deryn, it's moving. It's following us. It has legs," Alek sputtered frantically.

"Don't just stand there! Come on," she said, jogging further away.

They continued running until they were a good distance away, and no more roars were heard.

"Right," Deryn panted as she looked behind them while slowing down. "I think it's given up."

"What was it?" Alek asked, out of breath.

She shook her head. "I don't know for sure, but I reckon it's a fabrication gone barking bad."

"Was it something the UDSRM released those into the River?"

"There were things like that when we got here," she said, plopping down onto the ground. "Some of the Belgians did experiments on the beasties that lived in the jungle, and a lot of them turned out barking nasty."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Alek asked, "Like what?"

"I've never seen it, but Themba told me that they made a monster with some of the life threads of crocodiles. He thinks they crossed it with something like that," she said as she pointed in the direction they had just run from. "Or that's the result."

Alek shuddered.

"Aye, we're lucky we made it out of there so easy. Let's get going," she said while getting to her feet.


	23. True Intentions

**Thank you Jett, Knight Mistress, Daft Prince, Barking Lizards, and Zmusic2014 for your awesome reviews! You guys rock! :D**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

Cocijo tried to get up; really, he did, but his legs couldn't move. They were pinned underneath the enormous crate. The top of the crate, at least: it had been flung open upon their landing. He craned his head to look around and behind him.

"Bovril? Are you in here?" he called, but got no answer. "Mr. Bauer?"

* * *

He had just pieced together Dmitri's plan and was about to go back to inform Doctor Barlow when the door flew open and the man himself steamrolled in. There wasn't any time to hide. The man's expression was one of complete rage as he dragged Illeya in by the collar. He flung him next to Cocijo.

"YOU," he said, pointing an accusatory finger in Cocijo's direction. Bovril whimpered and scampered away as he moved closer to the boy. "You wretched, heinous little-"

Dmitri was interrupted by the door flying open once again, this time to reveal the man called Bauer. He looked confused for a moment. More than likely Doctor Barlow had sent him to come looking for Cocijo; he had been gone for just about an hour.

Dmitri charged at Bauer, but stumbled when the floor shook.

It turns out the Project had been kept in the escape pod the whole time. More than likely it was Dmitri taking a precaution in case he was caught. Cocijo hated to admit it, but it was rather clever.

Everyone in the small room was flung about as it unhinged itself from the side of the _Gondolin_. Cocijo crashed into Bauer. Bauer held onto him tightly as the contents of the pod rolled around.

"Stay near me," he said into Cocijo's ear. "I'll look after you!"

* * *

But now Bauer was nowhere to be seen and that made Cocijo nervous.

The whole vessel appeared to have landed sideways. Boxes were strewn this way and that and in places they didn't belong. Something had to have malfunctioned; that wasn't a proper landing at all. The doorway was wide open and Dmitri and Bauer and Bovril were nowhere in sight.

Cocijo wriggled and pushed, and finally was able to slide his legs out from underneath the heavy slab of wood. They hurt a bit and were a little banged up, but upon inspection he found that no serious damage was done. He began to make for the door when he heard a small cry of pain.

"Bovril?" he called, hoping it was the loris.

Something stirred, but it wasn't Bovril. He turned back to see Illeya, whose foot was stuck underneath a heavy-looking box of tools. Illeya glared up at him, but soon switched to a pained expression as he struggled to free himself.

"Wait! Don't do that!" Cocijo said, wading through the debris to get to him. He couldn't – he wouldn't – leave Illeya there to die, no matter how wretched he was.

Illeya didn't answer but looked up him scornfully. "Go away! I don't need your help!"

Cocijo looked down at him, then at his foot. It didn't look good. "I think you do."

Illeya rolled his eyes. "Why would you help me? I'm never nice to you. Stupid Mayan-"

"That's not my name. And because it's the right thing to do."

Illeya sighed. "I don't _want _your help. Please just go away."

Cocijo ignored him. "Illeya, I will help you under three conditions. One: stop calling me names. Two: once I get this box off of you, you have to promise not to hurt or hinder me now and once we're out of here. Three: you can't help Dmitri anymore."

Illeya looked distressed. "It's not that easy-"

Cocijo looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes it is. He's evil, Illeya! And he's hurt so many people. Someone has to stop him, and that's why I'm going to try to do."

Illeya thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I promise."

"All right. I'm going to move this, and you're going to keep that promise. Agreed?"

Illeya nodded and closed his eyes, bracing himself.

"One, two," and on "three," Cocijo heaved the metal toolbox just high enough that he was able to toss it so that it was off of Illeya's foot.

Illeya gasped, and still with his eyes closed, asked, "Is it bad?"

His foot was a mangled and bloody mess. Instead of answering his question, Cocijo asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"

Illeya's eyes went wide and he glanced down at the damage. "Now it does." He gagged and put a hand to his mouth.

"Do you think you can walk if I get you up?"

Illeya nodded, trying not to look at it. "I don't know, but I'll try."

Cocijo crouched down and helped the boy up onto his uninjured foot. Illeya took a step, naturally putting weight onto his injured foot and inhaled sharply.

"I don't think I can walk, Cocijo. Just go."

"You can't just stay here. Come on," Cocijo answered as he put an arm around his waist.

They managed to slowly hobble through the debris and outside. There was a trail of wood splinters and feathers coming from the door of the shuttle, but the thing that really interested Cocijo was looming right in front of them.

When he and Deryn had left for Tikal, Dmitri had just begun construction on a building in the middle of the compound. Cocijo had heard talk that it was going to be a Mayan sort of temple, but he had no idea it was going to be so _big_.

It was an exact replica of the Temple of the Jaguar, only bigger; there were more layers on this one than the one in Tikal. It was made entirely of white stone; intricate carvings went all the way up the stairs. There had to be at least one thousand of them. It was so high. There was a wooden door at the base of the stairs.

Cocijo stood there dumbstruck until Illeya spoke. "What are you staring at?"

Illeya followed his gaze.

"He's been building that since we left. He wants to use it for the Project."

"The Project?" he said. "What is he planning?"

As his eyes strayed from the massive building, he noticed how quiet it was inside the compound. No signs of movement anywhere. A good number of scientists had stayed in Africa while they went to Tikal; there should have been _someone_ outside. He swallowed. "Illeya, where are the other scientists?"

A booming voice interrupted them. "It's about time."

Dmitri walked over to them smoothly, cane in hand and hardly looking like he just crash-landed.

Illeya looked pitiful. "I'm sorry, Cocijo. I tried to get you to leave-"

"Silence!" Dmitri barked. "You did well, Illeya. Now go inside and keep an eye on our new prisoners."

"I can't walk," the boy answered through gritted teeth.

"Oh? Let me help you," Dmitri said as he took Illeya by the collar and tossed him through the door at the base of the Temple. The boy let out a yelp and Dmitri slammed the door shut.

Cocijo tried to run but Dmitri caught him after a few steps.

"Not so fast," he chided as he caught him by the scruff of his neck. "I have a purpose for you, boy."

"What did you do with the scientists?" Cocijo demanded.

"They're dead," he answered nonchalantly. "They had a purpose, and they served it, as do you."

Fighting his grip, Cocijo spat, "What do you mean?"

Dmitri smiled at him wickedly. "I will show you."

He dragged Cocijo back toward the Temple and up the steps.

"You see," he said as he trudged up the steps. "You're going to be a part of history. Part of a day people will remember forever!"

"What are you talking about?" Cocijo questioned, still trying to pry at the man's fingers.

"I can't tell you everything, but it begins with a ritual, of sorts. One of the ancient culture of your people; you should be excited!"

The only sort of rituals of the ancient Mayans Cocijo knew about were those of human sacrifice.

"So you're going to sacrifice me," he said, trying his best not to let his fear show. "I am not afraid to die."

Dmitri scoffed, then composed himself. "Good, that is a very good thing. But the sacrifice is only part of it."

Cocijo didn't know what that meant, nor did he care to. "You're mad."

"So I've been told," he said as he descended the last few steps. "But tonight the world will beg for forgiveness from Dmitri Shchavelsky."

He set Cocijo down. They were on the plaza at the very top of the Temple. There were two stone tables next to each other, and a small stand in between them. It strangely resembled the illustration in the ancient book Cocijo and Bovril had seen.

Above them was a sort of balcony, and above that the rounded comb. The view was impressive; Cocijo could see everything around for miles; the forests, mountains, even towards the mouth of the Congo River. He noticed two specks on the ground moving towards them.

Cocijo froze. Though they were up quite high, he could tell one of those specks was definitely blonde. And as there were almost no blonde-haired people in the Congo, it must have been Deryn.

Dmitri noticed them, too.

"Ah, just on time. You see," he said as he turned back to Cocijo. "It couldn't just be anyone for the sacrifice. No, I needed someone with noble blood, Son of the Jaguar King."

Cocijo felt a small victory. "But you're wrong. My blood isn't noble; my mother was no one of political importance."

"Yes, I realized that a few months ago. If your mother wasn't a half-bred commoner and someone actually royal, then your blood would be enough. She almost spoiled my plans!"

His words were sickening. Cocijo felt his stomach turn and before he knew what he was doing, he was blinding tossing his fists about at Dmitri. The man, being much bigger than Cocijo, hardly reacted but merely caught both of his hands and twisted until Cocijo fell to his knees in submission. He took a bit of rope and bound his hands and feet. Cocijo was too shocked to bother fighting back; it probably would have been in vain anyways.

"But everything worked out," Dmitri said as he carried the boy over to a large, stone table. "I had to pull a few strings, of course. Do you really think your father died at the hands of rebels? No! Those people loved him." He leaned in close to Cocijo –too close - and whispered, "I had him killed. I _paid_ them to."

"You're wrong," was all Cocijo managed to say. "It's never going to work."

"It is you that is mistaken. I will have the Ultimate Power and rule the world."

"You just said yourself my blood isn't enough," the boy retorted.

Dmitri looked stern. "You're right, and as you aren't purely royal, I had to seek an alternative." He grinned wickedly and looked in the direction where Deryn and presumably Alek were coming from. "And who better than an Emperor?"

_Alek._ Cocijo's mouth fell open. "No.."

"Yes. You're only half of it. The other half is on his way as we speak, and the two together shall make a whole," he declared with his hands raised in the air.

He had to stop them. They were walking straight into Dmitri's trap. Cocijo yelled at the top of his lungs in a last effort, hoping they would hear him and run. The last thing he remembered was Dmitri standing over him and a sharp pain to his head.


	24. True Intentions II

**Thank you WolfishMoon, EllieStone, Barking Lizards, Zmusic2014, Jett-Wolfe98, and Knight Mistress! Each of you is SO kind and I truly appreciate hearing from you. I treasure each of your thoughts and reviews and all the encouragement so much! :)**

**Just a quick note, some of these chapters are a bit shorter than the others; sorry for the lack of consistency! I promise the last few will make up for it, though! :D (Those were my favorite to write. :))**

**Also, ****African trypanosomiasis is the sleeping sickness referred to ever so briefly! It is carried by the Tsetse fly and was an epidemic in the Congo is the 1920s. As far as I know, the treatment of it was not discovered until the 1920s!**

**If anyone spots any typos, please point them out! I typed this up in record time because I'm going away for a few days soon and wanted to have something up before I left!**

**All original storyline and characters belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

Deryn laughed as they walked. "Remember when we pulled that prank on Jaspert?"

Alek remembered that well. It had involved a goat and rather a lot of whiskey. He smirked. "You mean when _you_ pulled that prank on Jaspert. I had nothing to do with it!"

She rolled her eyes. "Aye, and you let me take all the heat for it."

"And he still blamed me."

Their reminiscing came to a halt when Deryn stopped and squinted her eyes, looking up at the top of the enormous structure.

"What is it?" Alek asked.

"It looks almost like… There's someone up there," she said, still looking.

Alek was about to answer when a distant yell went through the air.

"Deryn, did that just say 'run'?"

She looked past him and her eyes widened. She ran over to a large lump on the ground: it was Bauer.

"Bauer! Bauer!"

He stirred and looked up at them with bleary eyes.

"Alek," he said softly. "Hello, Deryn."

"Bauer, what happened?"

The man shook his head weakly. "When did you get here?"

"This morning," Alek answered. "Are you all right?"

"I was in the escape shuttle, and then I woke up here. I must have been thrown."

"Can you walk?" Deryn asked.

Bauer blinked for a moment, gathering his wits about him. "I can try."

Alek took his arms and heaved him to his feet.

"I don't think I'm hurt," Bauer said, adjusting to his height. "Just a little dizzy. Thank you, Alek."

"Barking spiders, yes you are!" Deryn said, placing a hand to Bauer's forehead.

He looked at the blood on her fingertips, then touched the wound himself and winced slightly. "Just a scratch."

"Come on, we can go to the medical building. I'll have Dr. Sato take a look at you."

There was a large, lucid black cloud swirling above the temple. It didn't look friendly.

"A storm is coming," Bauer said, looking at it.

"A barking big one," Deryn muttered.

"Did you happen to see a boy on the _Gondolin_?" Alek asked as they walked.

"Called Cocijo?" Deryn added.

"Yes! I was with him before we landed. I told him I would look after him," he said, a hint of guilt in his voice. "We've got to find him."

"Of course. But we really should make sure you're all right. What were you doing in the escape pod?"

Bauer thought for a moment. "I was looking for Cocijo. Doctor Barlow sent him to find out about the fabrication-"

"Does she know what it is?" Deryn interrupted.

He shook his head. "She didn't tell me. I went into the storage room, and Dmitri was there with Cocijo and another boy. And your loris, too, Alek."

_Bovril!_ Hopefully the loris was with Cocijo.

"When I entered to room, Dmitri ran at me, but the shuttle detached itself and we were sent rolling."

"Where's the _Gondolin_?"

"Well, that's just it. They're taking it to Morocco to find the British Consulate. We told Aurielo and Dmitri it was for engine trouble, but Dmitri didn't believe us."

"Are they coming back?" Alek asked.

Bauer shook his head. "I don't know. I hope so."

"Here, it's that one," Deryn said as she motioned to a plain, one-level building. She went up to the door, which she noticed was slightly ajar. She covered her mouth when she pushed it open; she was horrified at the sight within.

Bauer and Alek cursed.

The lights were flickering on and off, motionless bodies lay strewn this way and that.

She moved to one at the other side of the room, slumped against a wall. She put her fingers to his neck, pulling back after a moment.

"Sato," she said softly.

"Was this the doctor?" Alek asked grimly.

She nodded and looked around. "These people weren't working on fabrications; they were studying sleeping sickness."

"Sleeping sickness?"

She nodded again. "They were trying to _help_ people. They were close, too. They almost found a cure. Here, Bauer," she said, picking up a few bandages. It really wasn't that bad, but they were there and it would be better wrapped up.

"What happened to them?" he asked, looking around.

"They probably weren't useful to Dmitri anymore," she answered scornfully.

"We've got to stop him," Bauer said, wincing a bit. "I don't know where he is, but he was talking a lot about the Temple on the way from Tikal. Perhaps we should go over there?"

Alek nodded.

Deryn took one last look around the room, at the unfortunate people scattered on the floor. She would make sure these people had a proper burial once all of this was through, she thought to herself.

The door at the bottom of the Temple steps was not far from the medical building at all. Alek turned the doorknob slowly and stepped in; Bauer and Deryn followed.

"It's so barking dark in here," she whispered.

"There's a light coming from over there," Bauer added.

They shuffled towards it, bumping into each other, and turned to see a lit torch mounted on a wall in a room.

""That's exactly what we need!" Bauer said, quickly walking towards the glow.

Bauer slowly walked into the room, towards the object.

"No, Bauer, don't touch that!" Deryn said, trying to stop him. She followed him, but it was too late. He turned to her, torch in hand.

"What?" he said innocently.

"Oh, I was just thinking that it might be-"

She heard a scraping sound and turned to see iron bars sliding shut over the doorway, trapping her and Bauer like it was a prison cell.

"-rigged," she finished.

And Alek was on the outside. He walked up to the bars and shook them. "Perhaps if we-"

Just as the lights came on, his eyes fluttered shut.

Standing behind him was Dmitri, looking as crazed as ever with a large stone in hand. Alek gasped as he fell into the bars, trying to stay awake, but his eyes shut.

"Alek!" Deryn shrieked, but it was too late. The iron bars separating them were locked solid, but she shook them anyway.

"Let me out!" she barked at Dmitri.

He looked her directly in the eyes. "No."

She glared at him for a moment, and he held her gaze. Then he burst out laughing.

She continued to glare.

"Who do you think sent him that silly invitation? It wasn't easy, sending that to the Emperor of a country. Do you think I would simply kill him after all of my efforts? I had my doubts that he would come here at all, but he did, but I have you and that wretched child to thank for that."

_Cocijo._ "Where is he?"

"Waiting for Aleksandar and I, of course," he said as he dragged Alek's unconscious form into the middle of the room.

"What are you doing? Let them go!" she demanded.

He smiled at her wickedly. "You will find out soon. But for now I will leave you with the knowledge that you, Deryn Sharp," he said as he stepped right up to the bars, "brought them both to me; you practically handed them over! Like a moth to a flame. And when they are dead, it will be _your fault_."

"Please," she said in as pleading a tone as she could get.

"_Please_?" he repeated. "All of this work and you think one little nicety will change my mind? For a moment, I thought you would have taken your prince and run," he continued. "I can't say I would have blamed you; I would have done the same. But thankfully you didn't; otherwise my plans would have been spoiled. So pathetically predictable!"

He was mocking her.

She was so filled and blinded by her rage she proceeded to spit out every filthy curse she'd ever heard, completely ranting at him. She knew it wasn't doing a bit of good but she didn't stop.

When she was finished, he simply smiled at her.

"Goodbye, Deryn."

He stepped next to Alek and the square of floor they were on rose, doors opening on the ceiling above them. They continued moving up until she could see them no more.

She slid down the bars onto her knees in defeat. "Alek, I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Miss Sharp, I have never known you to give up so easily," came a familiar voice from the corner. It wasn't Bauer.

She turned to see Count Volger standing behind her.


	25. the Right Hand of God

**Thank you Bookworm250250, WolfishMoon, Daft Prince, hamaiasa, MiddyMiles, Jett-Wolfe98, and Ellie Stone for your reviews, critiques, and encouragement! I love hearing from each of you; it seriously brightens my day! :)**

**Bookworm: Thank you so much for reviewing! Yours is the kind I lovelovelove to see! :) I'm so glad you slogged through the cheesiness! THANK YOU so much for reading it! I hope it continues to satisfy and I hope to hear from you when it's finished to know what you think of it. :D **

**If anyone sees any glaring typos or inconsistencies, please point them out! I'm off to do a bit of travelling for a few days, so I won't be able to correct it right away (no computer, no phone; we're going off the grid, baby!), but I will when I get back! And I would love to have lots of reviews and thoughts waiting for me when I return. :D :D :D**

**Remember when I said it was going to be ten chapters? Well, it might be eight. Or maybe ten with two really short ones. I haven't decided yet, but my point is: the end is in sight, people! The chapter after this and the rest of them were my favorite to write. :D Thank you to everyone who's followed this and reviewed and enjoyed! **

**OH! And remember how I told you this whole idea was based off of a song? (Tikal by ES Posthumus; I do not own it!) It was actually two songs. The second one that gave me the Africa idea is called He Lives in You. It's from the Lion King 2 soundtrack, which I do not own. Go look it up; it's awesome! :D**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

"Volger! What the in blazes are you doing here?"

He gave her an impatient look. "We've been here for days awaiting your arrival. It's about time."

_Typical Count Volger,_ she thought to herself_._

"Where's Bauer gone?"

"Did you not notice the large tunnel I'm currently standing in front of?"

She hadn't, actually. She was too preoccupied with the situation moments before. It was a round, large tunnel, big enough to stand in and rather wide. Its stone structure contrasted greatly with the stark white walls of the room they were currently standing in.

"Oh," she said. "Where does it go?"

"Come, and I will show you."

She didn't have time to go skipping down dark tunnels. "We've got to help Alek!"

"Yes," he said, a slight hint of exasperation in his voice. "Unless you are able to force those bars back with your mind, I suggest you come with me."

She hesitated for a moment, then followed the Count into the tunnel. It was dark only for a moment, then quite light. On the right-hand side, there were small rooms similar to the one they had just come from, all with bars instead of doors. And with the lights now on, it illuminated everything quite well.

"Barking spiders," she whispered. "What is this place?"

The Count sighed. "We were hoping you could tell us."

"'We'?"

He turned into one of the cells, where Bauer was sitting beside Hoffman. His arm was in a make-shift sling.

"What happened?" Deryn exclaimed.

Hoffman winced at her voice, which was made loud by an echo.

"We arrived a few days ago, and were fine waiting for you. The doctors here were very agreeable, but once that man showed up a few hours ago, things went awry. He ordered us in here."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You let him push you around?"

"No. And as you can see, Hoffman didn't fare so well. He kept telling us we were not part of his plan."

"What's he doing?" Bauer asked.

"He believes he is summoning a god," Volger answered.

"He's barking mad," Deryn said.

"I do agree with you," said the Count. "And I didn't believe him at first. But we caught a glimpse of the creature, and I must say he appears to have been successful."

"Blisters."

"Indeed. Now, perhaps you could get our _guard_ to cooperate with us, that way we can get to Alek as soon as possible. He refuses to make any such response to Hoffman or myself."

She followed the Count's gaze. Sitting on the other side of the bars in a chair was Illeya, his back to them. He scoffed at Volger's words. "Trust me, you're safer in there."

Deryn sat down in front of the bars, as close to Illeya as she could. He was bent down gingerly rubbing one of his feet.

She took a deep breath. "Illeya," Deryn said in as close to a pleading tone as she was willing to get, "Please let us out."

No response.

She cleared her throat. Perhaps if she took a different route… "What happened to your foot?"

Illeya straightened up and crossed his arms. "Dmitri dropped a box of tools on it."

So he was finally turning against his own assistant. Well, then. "Illeya, he's _mad._ We need to stop him. Please let us out."

He turned and looked at her. "I couldn't if I wanted to. I don't know where the key is."

Deryn sighed, biting back her temper.

"There is another way," Illeya added quietly. "But it's dangerous."

"Oh?" Deryn said.

He nodded. "It's where Dmitri put an… Extra fabrication."

She frowned. "I thought he dumped all of those in the River?"

"Not all of them. This is one he doesn't want anyone to know about. He said it's for later."

She grimaced. If what chased her and Alek across the River was nasty, she could only imagine what this beastie was like. That was, if it was something even created by the UDSRM.

"Is it the only way?"

Illeya nodded.

"I will go with you, Deryn," said the Count.

Hoffman let out an objection, but Volger ignored him.

"Are you sure? I can go by myself; I don't mind." Truthfully, she did mind and would be delighted for company. She could never say that to the Count's face, of course.

"I am sure," he said, turning to Illeya. "Which way is it?"

He hesitated but answered after a moment, "Follow the tunnel with the piping at the top. When you come to a wall, turn to the left. That will take you into the caves. There's a lake there."

Deryn frowned. "A lake, under the ground?"

He nodded. "It's water collected from the river; it's really more of a lagoon, I suppose. There are no boats, so you'll have to go through it. If you stay to the left, it's shallow enough to wade."

"Where does it lead out?" the Count asked.

"Once you get to the other side of the water, there is an opening into the forest, just in front of the temple. You'll be facing the steps. Deryn, make sure you _stay to the left._"

"I'll stay with Hoffman," Bauer offered.

"Count, don't overexert yourself," Hoffman said in a warning tone as he and Deryn walked off.

So Deryn and Count Volger did just as Illeya said, following the piping until they reached a wall. They were about to descend into the cave when the Count began coughing.

Volger leaned against the wall for support, wheezing and hacking in an unsightly manner. It went on for a moment or two and didn't stop, prompting Deryn to say, "Barking spiders, Volger! Are you all right?"

She was answered by even uglier coughing.

He regained his breath after a moment. "No. I'm dying."

Deryn's eyes widened. Count Volger _dying_? It seemed impossible; the man was near inhuman.

"What?"

He straightened up slowly. "I'm sick. My body can't take much more. It is simple, really."

"Then why are you here?"

He sighed. "For Alek. And for my son."

Deryn's mouth fell open. The thought of Count Volger having offspring was a very, very foreign concept. "Your _son_?"

He nodded slowly. "I never knew him."

She couldn't contain her curiosity. "What happened?"

"His mother was a gypsy. She and I met in Vienna, while her caravan was passing through. We fell in love, and she ended up pregnant. When she told me, I had just taken an oath to Franz to live with the archduke and duchess and tutor Alek. My father always hated her, and with his help, I convinced myself that sending her and our child away and honoring my oath to Franz was the best choice for all of us."

"That's terrible," she said slowly. "How could you do that?"

"Believe me, Deryn; if I could go back and change it, I would. Not a day goes by that I don't regret the decision I made," he said quietly. "I planned to take this year to seek out my son, but the sickness caught up with me faster than I expected. So therefore I am where my duty lies, and am here for Alek."

She blinked.

"And if I am to die, at least it will be for a good cause."

Deryn felt completely stupid. It was she, after all, that had brought Alek here and had let Cocijo go in Africa. She unknowingly handed them over to Dmitri like a lamb to the slaughter. And here Volger was, knowing full well of his impending death, willing to sacrifice himself for Alek. She hadn't even thought that she might have to do that.

"Deryn, I don't know for certain what that mad man has planned, but whatever it is, it appears to be highly dangerous. Even to the point where you may die. Are you willing to do that?"

She thought for a moment. She was the one that had created the Project in the first place! This mess was her responsibility; it was her duty to clean it up. If ever there was a noble cause to die for, it was Alek.

"Aye."

"Excellent. Shall we continue?" he said, straightening up.

She nodded. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"As long as I don't lose my breath."

They descended a gentle slope made of pebbles. They slipped and skidded until they arrived at the bottom: an incredibly big sort of cavern.

"Blisters," was all she managed to say. "Where in blazes are we?"

"I have no idea," the Count whispered back, equal awe in his voice.

It was beautiful.

When Illeya had first told her it was an underground lake, Deryn felt skeptical about it. She thought of the lochs back at home; they were big enough to swim in and take a boat out on, but not so big you lost sight of the shore. To her, a lake was a fairly large body of water; surely something no bigger than a pond could be underground. But Illeya was right: it was in fact, a lake, and it was in fact, the usual size.

There was an opening on the cavern ceiling high above them, causing a beam of white sunlight to shine down into the water. Stalactites hung down from the stone ceiling. They resembled melted wax that had just hardened, their scraggly ends just touching the surface of the water. It was clear and glowed bright blue. It was a relief, being able to see the bottom.

She stepped quietly into the warm water and the glow scattered from where her feet landed. Upon closer inspection, she saw that they were tiny glowing fish. They were blue and gold and no bigger than the tip of her finger. She had read about glowfish once. They were related closely to the glowworms, though much more difficult to train. Their lights went out when they became frightened, as they had when she had stepped into the water. Luckily, there was a whole lakeful of them. Deryn decided not to mention this to the Count, as the thought of swimming with thousands of tiny fish might put him off about the whole thing, him being a Clanker and all.

She waded up to her waist when she realized the Count wasn't following. He was standing on the shore, looking rather twitchy.

"You _can_ swim, can't you?" she said skeptically.

He gave her an offended look. "Of course I can," he scoffed. "It's just a matter of not enjoying it."

She rolled her eyes and continued walking into the water. It only came up about to her waist and if Illeya was being truthful, they wouldn't have to swim at all. "Come on, Count! It's shallow enough that you can wade."

He dipped the tip of his shoe into the water skeptically.

She bit back a laugh. She had seen this man yell in the faces of important people, fight off groups three times his size of enemies with a mere sword. Of all things for Count Volger to be afraid of, she hadn't imagined water to be one of them. "Just pretend it's the bath!"

"If this was the bath, I can assure you I would be _alone_," he muttered. He cautiously stepped into the water very, very slowly.

"Barking spiders, Count! Pick up the pace! We haven't got all day!"

He shot her a glare but begrudgingly obliged.

As they walked, she could see there was a small island in the water on the other side, away from the light. Deryn could only make out the shape of it, but it was obvious what it was. It was strange, one of those being in an underground lake. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and her foot slipped off the ledge and she dropped unexpectedly into the water. But it was no trouble; she merely swam back to where she was, regained her footing, and resumed walking.

It was a bit of trouble, though, that the light coming from the glowfish in the entire lake went completely out. Something had frightened them.

"What just happened?" Volger whispered frantically.

Deryn stopped where she was and listened. The only noise she heard was the Count breathing and water slowly dripping. Her gaze went back to where the island was; only she was unable to locate it.

"Odd," she said to herself.

"What's 'odd'?" the Count said, just as frantic as before.

She probably wasn't looking in the proper direction, and besides, it was dark now. She shook her head. "Nothing. Come on now, we're almost to the other side!" No need to alarm him.

The water level became lower and lower until Deryn was just to her ankles. She could see sunlight coming from up ahead from what was presumably the exit; it looked like the mouth of a cave.

"See? That's wasn't so bad," she said to the Count. "The way out is just up there."

He scoffed. "Perhaps not, but-"

His words were cut off by a small, quiet splash. Just as Deryn turned to see what it was, she saw the Count disappear under the water's surface, leaving only the faintest ripples in his place.

Something had pulled him under.

Panic coursed through her veins. "Volger! Volger!" she whispered frantically, not wanting to draw further attention to the situation. She ran back into the water to the spot where he was and felt for him, but he wasn't there. The water was still dark, too dark for her to see where he might be.

A few feet from where he had just been, he emerged, gasping for breath. She ran to him and took his hand, pulling him out of the water. But whatever had him was holding on tight.

"Kill it!" he screamed at her.

"With what?"

"The sword on your back, woman!"

She had completely forgotten about the _maquahuitl. She reached for it clumsily with her free hand._

"Where?" she screamed back.

His hand was slipping from hers. "It's got my leg!"

She hacked awkwardly in the water near Volger's feet. Thankfully he was on the shallow edge; otherwise it would have been nearly impossible.

She must have hit something, for whatever it was released its grip of Volger and she hauled the limping Count out of the water and onto the shore. She did not look back to see the creature as they ran, nor did she care to.

"It's just up there," she panted. The Count leaned on her as they hobbled towards the mouth of the cave.

Once they were just outside, she let him go and sat to catch her breath. The wind had picked up significantly and the sky was much darker than before.

The Count was leaning on the entrance. He let out a wheezing cough, leaning forward with each hack. He groped for support, but could find none and dropped to his knees. He collapsed. Deryn rushed to his side and rolled him over.

"Volger! Stay awake!"

He coughed again, blood leaking out from his mouth.

"It is too much," he said hoarsely. "I think my time here is finished."

"No, you can't die! You need to find your son!" she said in a raised voice. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. It surprised her, feeling so much empathy for a man she once despised. But she had been so wrong. He was being noble, righting the wrongs he had done in his life.

Footsteps came from behind them. Deryn tore her gaze from the Count to see Hoffman running at them, with Bauer who was supporting Illeya coming not too far behind.

"What's happened to him?" Hoffman demanded, dropping to his knees and looking over Volger.

"How did you get here?" Deryn hollered over the wind.

"He found the key," Bauer yelled back, motioning to Illeya.

Volger tugged on Deryn's hand as she turned back to him. She leaned down just close enough to hear him whisper, "Find him for me." He exhaled and closed his eyes.

"No, no!" Deryn exclaimed. She shook him, but his eyes didn't open.

She'd been _so wrong_ about him. All these years she despised him all because he wanted Alek to be the son he never knew. She had been so rotten to him.

Hoffman began trying to revive him in every way he could, but to no avail. It was then that she remembered the vial of Life Essence Themba had given her. She dug into her pocket, feeling for it. Miraculously, it was still there.

She hesitated as she unwrapped it. If she was to die on the top of the Temple, this was her one way out. Her one way to see her mother again. Her one chance to be with Alek forever. She shook the thought and handed it over before she could think anymore. The Count deserved it.

"Hoffman, give this to him the minute his pulse stops," she said clearly, trying not to think about it and risk changing her mind.

Hoffman looked bewildered. "I'm not sure I understand, Deryn."

"Open the barking vial and pour it in his mouth once he's dead," she hissed at him. "When he wakes up, tell him … I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was ever rotten to him."

"Where are you going?" Bauer asked.

"To get Alek and Cocijo."

Hoffman was still puzzled. "Can't you tell him, once you get back?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't think I'll be coming back."

She got herself up and ran to the steps of the temple.


	26. the Right Hand of God II

**Hello, friends! :)**

**Thank you SO much to bookworm250250, Jett, WolfishMoon, Zmusic2014, hamaiasa, and guest! You all are so kind, and it made my heart so happy to read each of your sweet comments when I got back from my trip. :D You are awesome!**

**Guest: It's almost done! Thirty is my goal. Thanks so much for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy! :D**

**And to everyone else reading/(hopefully!) enjoying this: _please_ review at the end! I really am genuinely interested to know what everyone thinks! Even if it's just one word, even if you hated it; I want to know!**

**Fun fact: the spinosaurus is thought to live in Africa. Yay! That's what I based my image of Mokele-Mbembe on to begin with, even though the real thing isn't thought to look anything like that. And it lived in Africa, so that worked out perfectly! Double yay! If you want to know more about it, look it up and read about it! It's really interesting.**

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

_Six-year old Deryn peeked over of the rim of the basket. She had to stand on her tippy toes to look at the grass below. Given, Da said they were only fifteen feet up, but fifteen feet was much, much taller than she was and that was slightly frightening._

_Her eyes widened as a gust of wind blew the basket a few feet faster than usual. "Da! Take me down; I'm scared!"_

_Her father laughed from behind her. "I'm right here, lass!"_

_She shook her head, crossed her arms, and sat down firmly, planting herself in the spot._

_Da scooted down so she was looking at him. "But you told me you wanted to fly, didn't you?"_

_She had begged and begged him to take her up in a balloon for weeks. When he had finally agreed, she couldn't believe her luck! Jaspert had been eight when he went flying with Da for the first time and she was only six!_

_"Would you feel better if I held you?"_

_She nodded reluctantly as he scooped her up. "See? It's not that bad, is it?"_

_She cracked one eye open to observe her surroundings. It wasn't that bad at all. In fact, she quite enjoyed the feeling that she had when she was up in the air, flying. It was only when she looked at the ground she remembered how high up she was. But with Da holding her, she felt quite safe and outgrew her fear of heights almost instantly._

_She moved a bit and Da lessened his grip on her. For a moment, only a moment, she felt like he was going to drop her to the ground. She yelped and threw herself back into him._

_Da held her tight in his arms._

_"Deryn, I'm not going to let you fall." _

_She took a deep breath. "Promise?" she mumbled from his shoulder._

_She felt him nod. "Aye. I promise, lass. And if you do, I'll always reach out and catch you."_

Deryn felt a small shudder pass through her as she looked up at the enormous structure from the bottom of its steps. There were so _many_. It was intimidating, and the feeling that she might not be coming back down lingered. But she had to go. If she didn't, Dmitri would murder Cocijo and Alek for whatever his mad, stupid plan was. Still, though, she hesitated. She wished Da were here to nudge her on.

But he wasn't, and that was that. Slowly, she stepped up the first step, then the next and so on and so forth. Every time her foot slapped onto the cold concrete, she could her Themba's voice.

_He lives in you._

Jaspert would never forgive her; that Deryn could accept. But her Ma. She hoped with every bit of Ma that she would be able to find the strength to pull through and get better. She would wear skirts for the rest of her life if she knew Ma would be all right.

_He lives in you._

With each step she grew closer to the plateau on the top, so she could see more. About halfway up she could make out Dmitri's shape, standing and waving his arms like he was composing a symphony. He looked pure dead ridiculous. She couldn't see Cocijo or Alek, but she knew they were up there.

_He lives in you._

She heard a scream and moved faster. When she was almost at the top, she slipped and fell, her bad knee hitting the sharp edge of the stairs. She bit back a groan and forced herself to get up despite the throbbing protests coming from her knee.

_He lives in you._

The steps stopped. She looked around the plateau to see Cocijo tied to a table right next to where she was standing, bound at the hands and ankle, and Alek in the same situation in a table next to him away from her. Dmitri was standing with his back facing them. She immediately crouched down behind the solid stone table Cocijo was on to avoid being spotted. To get to Alek, she would have to walk behind Dmitri or crawl past Cocijo.

She peeked around the corner and saw the man looming down over something. His hands were gripping the table he was leaning over and his shoulders shaking… Was he crying? He appeared to be quite engrossed in whatever it was; hopefully that would give her enough time.

Quietly, she crawled over to the other end of the table where Cocijo's head was. Slowly she rose up onto her good knee, making sure that Dmitri was still facing the opposite direction, and pressed a hand over Cocijo's mouth so he wouldn't make any noise.

His eyes widened when he saw her; she removed her hand and placed a finger to her lips as she began sawing at the ropes tying his hands down with the maquahuitl. It was awkward, with the ropes being so small and the maquahuitl being so disproportionately big in comparison, but she managed.

"Deryn!" he whispered frantically.

"Shush!" she whispered back, one rope down.

She moved faster, breaking the other rope. She couldn't get near his feet without being right behind Dmitri, so she left that. At least his hands were free. She crouched down and was just moving to Alek down when a familiar, deafening roar that shook the air stopped her in her tracks.

"It's here," she heard Dmitri say. She could hear the mad grin in his voice.

She reached up to Alek and put a hand over his mouth. His forehead was bleeding a bit, as though he's been hit. That was her prince, fighting back. He moaned slightly as she shook him.

"Alek! Alek!" she whispered, trying to wake him up.

He blinked hard at her. "Deryn?"

"I'm right here, love," she answered, trying to stay calm.

She sawed quickly at the rope, and cut it successfully. And just as she was about to move to the next one, she was interrupted by a voice.

"You just have to be the hero, don't you, Deryn?" Dmitri said from behind her, rather flatly. He grabbed the sword and tossed it away and before she realized where he was, and a fistful of her hair, by which he dragged her to the end of the table. She struggled and flailed wildly, but none of that seemed to affect him. Then she looked at him for a moment. He didn't look his usual mad self; in fact, he looked quite sad. He left her where she was and moved back to the table.

She heard him murmuring. He turned around, holding a small, wooden doll in his hands. Deryn had never seen it before. It was rounded and fat at the bottom; once painted intricately with flowers and a face, though now much of it appeared to be faded. Was he really talking to a barking doll?

"What do you say, Vasilisa?" he said, holding it close to his mouth. He paused, as if waiting for a response. "Oh! How rude of me. You two haven't met, have you?" he said, looking at Deryn. "This is my sister, Vasilisa."

His sister was a sodding doll? How barking mad was he?

After a moment, his face darkened and twisted back to madness as he said, "She doesn't like you."

Before she even thought about it, she lunged at Dmitri and tackled him to the ground. He staggered, obviously not expecting the retaliation he was receiving. She hit him again and again, for every time she had so wanted to these past years. Every bit of anger she had ever felt coursed through her veins. He sputtered a bit and coughed and made the strangest sound.

Was he laughing at her?

Indeed. Wheezing, he said, "Fool. You are so predictable."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

He smirked at her as he wiped a bit of blood from his mouth and spat out a tooth. "It is time for you to meet your creation, of course. I'm sure you're anxious to see how it turned out."

Very much awake now, Alek screamed from behind her, "Deryn! MOVE!"

She turned around slowly, dreading what was undoubtedly there.

For the first time, she was face to face with the very creature she had been fabricating for two years.

Only, it wasn't exactly face to face, for it was much, much bigger than she remembered designing it to be. It loomed above her, its yellow eyes looking straight down, studying the sight beneath it. It had the thick body of a basilisk, the great snake Deryn had fabricated in Africa. Around its head, almost like a lion's mane, were great, bright quetzal plumes. All down its body were shorter feathers that blended in with its scales; orange, purple, and green. A thin, red tongue flickered in and out of its mouth as it made a soft hissing sound, its body slowly bobbing side to side. It cocked its head at her in morbid curiosity. She recognized this stance. Like a snake about to eat its dinner.

She realized this just in time, for it lunged at her just as she hustled out of the way, just avoiding the snap of its fangs. She jumped to the side quickly, away from Alek and Cocijo. It recouped and moved just as fast, slithering after her, again twisting its head, interested in chase.

Deryn moved again, trying to get it as far away from Alek and Cocijo as she could. Perhaps if she could trick it, it would slither right over the edge and into the River. It snapped at her again unexpectedly; she lost her footing and fell onto her back. She crawled backwards on her elbows, but it was to no avail: the wall of the comb was in her way. There was nowhere to go. She looked up and saw the Quetzalcoatl still looming over her, tongue flickering in and out of its mouth, tasting the air. It bumped into the comb clumsily as it moved closer, knocking stones loose here and there.

Deryn shot once last glance at Alek. He was sitting up, desperately trying to free his other hand from the rope. She braced herself as it prepared itself to strike.

But suddenly the creature's head sort of snapped forward, like a person that unexpectedly misses the bottom of step of a staircase. It stopped for a moment, then seemed to shake it off. It moved closer and readied itself again and just when it looked about to lunge, a narrow line of skin on the back of its neck split and its head jerked forward again. Before she realized what was happening, the head of Quetzalcoatl snapped clean off and landed in front of her with a loud _thump!_.

As the monster's head fell, the rest of its body withered and jerked onto the ground. Cocijo, his father's maquahuitl in his hands, was standing a ledge next to where the creature's head had been. The maquahuitl must have been sharper than she'd thought to hack through _that_. The boy looked shocked at what he had just done; his eyes were wide and he was nearly shaking. The creature's body jerked and twitched, shaking madly. It wiggled over to the edge and slipped over the side into the River. A satisfied, loud roar came from that direction, this time much, much closer.

Dmitri stood frozen with a look of utter shock mixed with rage on his face, and charged over to Cocijo. He reached for the boy, who moved to escape his grasp, falling off the ledge in the process. He couldn't get up fast enough as Dmitri glided over to him and lifted by the neck. Deryn tried to get up on her feet, but a piece of stone had fallen on her leg, pinning her there. It wasn't that it was especially heavy; she moved it quite easily, but it had landed directly on her bad knee, further annoying it and slowing her down.

Cocijo's feet kicked the air madly while he gasped loudly for air. Dmitri snatched the sword from his hands, his eyes shining with madness.

"No matter," he spat. "I will simply spill the rest of your blood."

He raised the maquahuitl above his head, ready to bring it down upon the boy when he jumped and let out a very uncharacteristic yelp, rather effeminate at that. Cocijo took the chance to crawl away hurriedly toward the steps. But Dmitri didn't seem to notice. The man wiggled and shook his torso, dropping the maquahuitl. A furry blur ran down his chest and onto his back. His shaking and wiggling went down to his legs. He kicked, and the furry lump rolled out from the back of his pantleg. It was Bovril. The clever creature, wherever it had been, had evidently bitten the villain.

"Nasty," it declared while licking its lips before dashing off to avoid a kick. It ran to the steps to where Cocijo had gone.

Dmitri regained what was left of his composure and let out a breath that sounded like a growl. He moved to Alek, taking a knife from his belt. Feathers and plumes adorned the butt of it; it appeared to be quiet ceremonial.

Alek tried to move, but his other hand was still tied. "Deryn! Just go! Please!" he pleaded as he tried to free himself.

Dmitri stopped midstride and turned to her, grinning wickedly. Evidently, he had forgotten she was there. She tried to move, but with her bad knee roughed up, she wasn't fast enough. He grabbed her once again by the hair and dragged her in front of Alek.

"You have ruined everything I have done. Now you will watch the one person you love suffer and die, just as I have," he hissed, throwing her onto the ground. "And then it will be your turn."

She hit the ground and coughed for air. Knee screaming at her, heart pounding in her ears, she forced herself to stand up.

Cocijo's head poked up from the side where the steps where, Bovril on his shoulder. He was motioning madly towards the small table, mouthing something Deryn couldn't make it. Then she understood and dove for the doll.

She moved over to the edge overlooking the River and held the doll out over it. "Let him go, or I'll drop it," she announced.

Dmitri stopped cold and released his grip on Alek, eyes wide. Then he smiled at her wickedly as he took a step closer. "You wouldn't dare."

What did she care about his silly doll? She let it slip a wee bit to see what his reaction would be. He moved just a little faster and reached out though he was still too far away to catch it. Apparently it was more important than he'd let on. She smirked at him.

"I won't, will I?" she said, scooting along the edge. She moved to the middle and held the doll over the small fire that was burning. "Perhaps you'd rather me burn it?"

He stopped, a calculating gleam in his eyes. Seriously, he said, "If you do that, Deryn, we will all die."

As if she would believe him. Just as she was about to demand for Dmitri to untie Alek again, a clap of thunder broke out over them, and rain poured down, extinguishing the fire. Realizing her threat was now empty, he lunged at her and pushed her down, fingers curling around the doll. He snatched it from her and walked to the edge of the plateau, inspecting it for damage.

After a moment, he grinned at her madly. "You wouldn't have done it. You are too afraid to die."

She had hoped she wouldn't have to do this, but there was no other choice now. He was exactly where she wanted him. "See, that's where you're wrong."

With every last bit of energy she had, she hurled herself at Dmitri, completely blindsiding him. In a tangle of legs and arms, they both fell over the side, plummeting to the raging river below.


	27. Darkness

**Thank you SO much Daft Prince (:D!), Jett-Wolfe 98, Barking Lizards, jibblitmuffins3675, bookworm250250, and WolfishMoon! I know I've said it before, but I really can't tell you how much each review means to me! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and for taking the time to read this story and let me know what you think.**

**All original storyline and characters belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**Also, before anyone gets upset with me for this chapter, remember that there are still a few more coming!**

**The poem below is by the Mesoamerican philosopher Nezahualcoyotl (that's ****neza****-howl-coyotl). He wrote some awesome poetry in his day (the 1400s!), and I've always like this poem. So, since it relates to this chapter I thought I would share it with all of you. :)**

_I, Nezahualcoyotl, ask this:_

_By any chance is it true that one_

_Lives rooted in the earth?_

_Not always in the earth:_

_Here only for a little while_

_Though it be made of jade, it breaks;_

_Though it be made of gold, it breaks;_

_Though it be made of_

_Quetzal plumage,_

_It shreds apart._

_Not forever here on earth;_

_Here only just for a little while._

The wind blowing around her, rain pounding down. Deryn felt almost like she was flying rather than falling. It was peaceful, but only for a moment.

Then she remembered where she was and what was happening. Dmitri had gone mad, stark raving mad, and for good this time; he had tried to barking sacrifice Alek and Cocijo. Deryn had no idea why, except that the lunatic kept talking to a doll he referred to as his sister. He was right balmy.

And she had tackled him over the edge of the Temple, which is why she was falling towards the Congo River. She braced herself for the inevitable cold of the approaching water.

But then she felt a sharp tug on her back and came to a bone-rattling halt. She bounced a bit, and then stopped completely. She watched Dmitri continue to fall below her and into the river. At first he looked strangely blissful, but his expression soon switched to one of pained horror as he must have realized what was coming. He plunged into the River with a soft splash, hardly disturbing the already roaring, swollen surface. The ceremonial knife and little wooden doll immediately followed, dropping in the River Congo.

But she wasn't moving, why? She craned her neck around and saw something very peculiar: one of her suspender straps had gotten caught on a thick root that must have been exposed in the downpour. It was shaped like a long, thick, twisted finger beckoning her. It looked bizarre, as if it had reached out to catch her. Where the root came from she had no idea; there were certainly no trees on top of the Temple.

A sound came from below that interrupted her thoughts, loud enough to be heard over the rain. She turned to look and saw the fabrication that had plagued her and Alek when they crossed the River directly below her. And it was _barking huge_. It looked almost like a crocodile, with a long, thin sort of snout, only with a body more like a bear. That is, if bears had horny, tough skin. It stood on two legs and was quite tall. It must have been even taller than it looked, for it was standing in the deep area of the River. It looked around the area with its mouth slightly open; large, sharp teeth poking out crookedly every which way. Its eyes were large and black and didn't look particularly friendly. She saw a tall, spiny sail on its back and a thick tail as turned. It dove into the water with surprising grace, snapped its jaws about, and disappeared under the surface.

Barley able to see through the rain, she turned and groped for the root frantically. There was no way she wanted to fall into the water with _that_ thing swimming about. Perhaps if she could get a foothold on this side she could climb up... She grabbed the root and tried to feel her way up the cliff, but the moment she lifted her leg to climb, her knee wouldn't allow it. She groaned as she tried to straighten it out; it was excruciating.

From above, she heard a voice. It sounded distant, what with the rain and River both being so loud, but she was quite certain it was calling her name. It must have been Alek.

"Alek!" she screamed. She did so twice more, and after a moment, she saw an Alek-shaped blur peek over the edge of the cliff down at her. Surprisingly, he wasn't that far up. Apparently she hadn't fallen as far as she thought.

"Deryn!" he hollered, relief and fear in his voice. "Don't move!"

She struggled to hang onto where she was; it was slippery and one of her legs was dangling over the edge. She was forced to stand on her bad knee (which was aching and screaming at her); there was no room for both of her feet, but she held on tight. A bit of dirt unable to withstand the rain slipped from under her, causing her to fall. If the root hadn't been there, she would have been swept into the River along with the mud.

Alek returned moments later with a long rope and tossed it down to her. "Grab on, and I will pull you up!"

Deryn grabbed on with both hands and held on as he started to pull her up towards him. He towed her up at a painstakingly slow pace. She kept looking back down at the water, checking to see if the fabrication had surfaced again. She thought of the fabrication she had created and how awful that had seemed; but this was nothing in comparison. The river monster probably ate it in a single swallow.

She could almost see Alek clearly now. He was on his knees, pulling and pulling. When she was closer, she reached up her hand to him. She let out a cry of frustration as he tried to reach her and failed, one arm struggling to hold her concentrated weight. He pulled it up again a few more feet, he grabbed onto her extended hand with both of his. He leaned forward a bit from her unexpected weight; for a moment, she was afraid she'd pull them both to their deaths.

It must have shown in her expression. "Don't you dare let go," he said firmly, tears and sweat and rain running down his face. He finally pulled her near enough so that he could stand up and yank her up over the ledge. She fell into his arms, and Alek held her tight and close. His smell and the warmth of his skin were comforting, familiar. She breathed heavily into the crook of his neck; exhausted, knee pounding, attic scrambled, insides tingling.

He moved her back so she was facing him, and his eyes widened when he looked at her side. It was a knife wound, from the very knife Dmitri intended for him. She must have run straight into it when she tackled him. It was bleeding now; she could feel the warmth of her blood against her cold skin.

"You're hurt," he exclaimed, his hand moving to inspect the wound but she pulled away. The last thing she wanted was for him to go poking at it.

She pressed a hand to it cautiously and winced. "Aye."

"Come on," he said as he got up, one arm under her neck and the other behind her knees. "We have to find shelter."

It was a struggle, walking through all the rain. They hardly made it six feet when Deryn let out a sputtering cough, shaking and flailing about so much Alek had to stop and set her down. Her throat felt tight and her breath came in ragged wheezes. "I don't think I can," she managed to say.

"Deryn, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine," he said, smoothing her hair back.

She felt very hot, then very cold. Her insides felt like they were burning yet she was shivering on the outside. She could feel her throat tightening and she was getting warmer and warmer. She had to close her eyes, just for a moment…

Alek tried to shake her awake. "Deryn! Deryn! You can't fall asleep!"

She opened her eyes for a moment to take one last look at him. She took note of the way the lines on his forehead creased, the lovely color of his emerald green eyes. She felt like she was dreaming; she couldn't get her thoughts straight. Dazedly, she said, "Hi, love," as she held her hand up to his face, feeling the warmth of his skin. "I've missed you. Tell my Ma I'm sorry. I'm just glad I got to see you... one … last …. time."

Everything went dark.

* * *

She didn't stir.

"Deryn, no! Don't give in now! _Liebe, bitte!_" Alek pleaded desperately, but she wouldn't wake up. He took her hand and squeezed, hoping to bring her consciousness back. But it didn't.

In a last, perhaps futile, effort, Alek tried the same trick Deryn had used on him when he had slipped on the _Leviathan_ and hurt his head. Gently, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. She didn't open her eyes; but he could have sworn he felt her softly squeeze his hand and smile against his lips. When he pulled away, though, her expression was the same as it had been moments ago.

It wasn't fair, Deryn sacrificing herself for him. _He_ was the one that was supposed to rescue her; _he_was supposed to make sure she got home safely. He was supposed to be strong for her. He wanted to hold her and protect her, but had failed miserably to do so. They were supposed to go home and live happily forever after. Their perfect ending had been stolen from them, snatched away.

She was getting colder, so he immediately held her closer to his body, hoping to lend her some of his heat. He pressed his forehead against that of his beloved. "Please, Deryn. I can't lose you again."

He let out a sob. He couldn't be strong anymore. First his parents, and now the love of his life, the one person he had found that had brought him true happiness again, his best friend, had just been stolen from him. He sobbed and screamed cries of despair, completely undone and not caring, hardly able to hear himself over the rain.

He sobbed his way into utter exhaustion; until he could cry no more. His eyes, his head; everything hurt. He was wet, cold, and miserable. The rain let up eventually, allowing him to see things clearer. He looked down at her, and she was just as she was before.

"Alek," a voice bellowed over the rain.

Alek jumped and looked up. Bauer walked up to him, followed by Cocijo. He hadn't even noticed them. "No, she can't be…"

"She is," Alek said while looking off. "She's gone," he said, voice breaking.

Cocijo knelt beside him and took Deryn's other hand, tears silently running down his cheeks. Bauer loomed over them with a saddened expression on his face. After a moment, Cocijo's face brightened ever so slightly and he said, "Alek, let me take her to Themba. He'll know what to do."

"What do you mean? Can he help her?" Alek asked, daring to hope.

"I don't know if he can help her, but he will know what to do. The _Gondolin_is on its way. We both know that won't be fast enough, but we have this," he slowly reached into her pocket and fished out the strange whistle Deryn had used to call Amidamaru.

Alek looked down at Deryn's lifeless body. None of this was helping. "Can we call it? Do you think it can carry her?"

Cocijo nodded. "Yes, he will." and then blew the whistle. It made the beautiful notes, and a moment later, Amidamaru was hovering above them.

The creature seemed to understand. It landed on the ground, and looked at the Cocijo and Alek expectantly. Alek carried Deryn's limp body to the bird and strapped her into the harness on its back. He hovered for a moment after strapping her on, running his thumb over the back of her hand. He didn't want to leave her. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Please, please come back to me."

Bauer politely gave him his coat and Alek tucked it around her as best he could as Cocijo hopped on. Alek hesitated.

"Alek, we must go! There is nothing you can do," Cocijo said, his small voice breaking.

"Are you sure?" Alek said. "Isn't Aurielo a doctor?"

Cocijo looked down at him. "Yes, but he won't be here in time. It will be better if I take her; Themba is not that far away. I promise, that whatever happens, I will return." He paused. "And I'll bring her back with me, no matter what."

Alek took a breath and nodded. "Godspeed."

Cocijo nodded and said something to the bird. It flapped its wings and ascended into the sky.

"Your Highness," Bauer yelled. "The _Gondolin_is coming."

Alek didn't move as watched them fly away.

Bauer placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come, sir. We should meet them down there. You need to get inside."

_Please, please come back to me, Deryn._ Alek thought.


	28. Light

**Hello, readers! :)**

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Deryn felt a jolt and inhaled sharply, opening her eyes. She was met with blue; bright, beautiful blue. So bright it was that she had to close her eyes again immediately for fear of being blinded. She waited a moment and cautiously squinted, this time taking it much slower until she adjusted to the brightness. The same blue was still there.

It took her a few seconds to realize what she was looking at. She'd know that color anywhere: she was looking up at the sky. Slowly, she turned her head to the side to see that she was apparently lying on her back in grass. She sat up, taking a moment to adjust to being upright, and saw that she was in what apparently was a field. A field with the greenest, most glorious grass she'd ever seen. It was nearly as tall as she was; she couldn't see much from the ground.

Slowly and carefully she got up for fear that her injuries might act up, but her caution seemed to be rather needless. She stood and felt... Nothing. Her knee, her side, her head; everything felt fine. More than fine, actually; she felt quite well and strong; better than she ever had in her entire life. In fact, though she remembered what had happened on top of the temple, how she'd gone over the edge and faded away while in Alek's arms, all of that seemed like it had been a dream. She wasn't… Dead, was she?

No, she couldn't be. If she was dead she wouldn't be able to feel the grass or the warmth from the light coming down from the sky.

Using her hand to shield her eyes from the brightness, she looked out. She saw that she was surrounded by lovely, rolling hills speckled with white flowers (upon closer inspection, she discovered they were daisies). It didn't look like anyplace she'd ever seen before; it was all very majestic. She turned around and saw that there was a large rowan tree covered with pretty green leaves a hundred or so yards behind her.

Deryn had always liked rowan trees. They were fairly common in Scotland, but the one in the Sharp family's backyard was the best one of all. Its trunk and branches were thick and twisted, positively perfect for climbing. She and Da and occasionally Jaspert used to have races to see who could get to the top first (upon thinking about it now, she was certain Da had always let her win). And sometimes she used to sneak out and sit on the tallest branch just to feel close to the sky. She often did that after Da had died. She'd always loved that tree.

She figured she might as well go over to it. Staying where she was seemed just pointless and besides, she was feeling lively and in the mood for a nice walk. And she didn't want to walk in the direction of nothing; towards the rowan tree seemed the most logical place to go. She took her time getting there, choosing to relish the swish of the green grass on her legs and let her mind stay still. She'd been _thinking_ so barking much lately; she was perfectly content to let her mind be stationary for a few moments. And it was a nice place to do so. She ran her hand over the tips of the smooth, green blades of the grass. It was especially soft to walk on; nothing like the grass at home.

Speaking of home, where in blazes was she?

Suddenly an odd thought struck her. She turned and looked up and all around the sky, but she couldn't seem to find the sun. Not that it was dark; everything was illuminated as though it were midday. But she just couldn't see the sun anywhere. There were no clouds either; just pure, blue sky. It was the queerest thing, but she brushed off the thought and walked onward. As she continued, she also noticed that there was no wind and no noise other than the _swish_ of the grass as she walked. Queerer and queerer this place was.

Deryn could see the tree much better now. This one was much, much taller than the one back at home and almost just as perfect for climbing. Its leaves were bushy and heavily laden with red berries. She squinted against the light and saw something beside it. It looked almost like a hot-air balloon, strangely like the one Da had last been in. But that couldn't be; that one burned up.

Still, though; she was curious, so she quickened her pace and jogged up to it. It was tethered to the ground and in perfect condition, and it was definitely Da's. But how did it get here? She went to loosen the tethers – perhaps she couldn't get a better idea of where she was if she could be up higher - when she was interrupted by a voice.

"Deryn Sharp, what did I tell you about sneaking off in balloons without permission?"

She froze. It was impossible. Involuntarily, the word came out of her mouth. "Da?"

She turned around and saw him smiling at her. She put a hand over her gaping mouth and just stared at him.

He put a hand on his hip and feigning exasperation said, "Really, Deryn; all these years and you're just going to stare at me like that? Give us a hug!"

And she threw herself into his open arms. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around, just as he used to when she was little. She couldn't help but laugh; it was completely mad and wonderful all at the same time. He set her down and she had to step back just to get a look at him. He was exactly how she remembered him: light, sandy hair; the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth and eyes; and his big, bright, happy smile. His round reading glasses peeked out of the breast pocket of his shirt (along with his handkerchief if she remembered correctly) as they always had.

She put her hands once again over her gaping mouth, trying to process the scene in front that had just taken place. "Da! Are you really here?"

He threw his head back and laughed joyfully. Deryn had missed it so. Just hearing it out loud gave her goosebumps. "Of course I am, lass! And I'm right in front of you; there's no need for that hollering!"

"But… I don't understand! She glanced up at the balloon. " You…How?"

He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If we have time, I'll explain that to you. But I want to hear about you! How are you, lass?"

"But," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, "you died."

"It's all right to say it out loud!" he laughed.

"Then how are you here?" Then a thought struck her. "Am I dead, too?"

He didn't answer right away. "That's a bit hard to explain right now. If you're here long enough, you might just figure it out. Now, sit with me?"

And so they sat beneath the rowan tree and Deryn filled her father in on everything she had been up to since the last time they had been together. It was odd, very odd at first, but Deryn soon forgot the bizarre manner of the circumstances and babbled to Da about everything. She told him of how Jaspert had helped her sneak into the Air Service (Da's chest got a bit puffed up at that part; "That's my boy!"), about the Air Gallantry Cross she'd received just like Da ("That's my girl!"), that lunatic Tesla; all of her adventures right up until what she remembered in Congo.

"Aye, that Dmitri's a bum-rag," he muttered once she was finished. "He's got no business handling you in any way!"

"Barking right," she answered. She had told him _about _Dmitri, but she hadn't said his name. "How did you know?"

"Oh, did I not tell you? I've been watching you!" he said. "I saw you sneak aboard the _Leviathan_ and all that_," _he said as he got a sly look on his face_._ "And I've seen you and that Alek, too."

She felt herself blush a bit as she looked down at the grass and started absentmindedly picking at it.

"Aye, and he seems like a good lad," Da said softly.

"He's daft," she whispered without thinking, feelings of guilt creeping in. It wasn't Alek that was daft, though; it was her. No doubt wherever he was likely very upset with her.

"When he's plenty daft to fall in love with you, that's for sure," Da teased. "And he does love you; I can see it! Not just anyone would travel halfway across the world on a hunch to come looking for you, mind."

The one bright light began to gradually fade all of the sudden.

"Ah," Da said. "I was wondering when that would happen."

"What's happening? What are we doing?"

"_We_ aren't doing anything," he said as he stood up and stretched. "It appears that _you_ are waking up."

"Waking up? You mean I'm not dead?"

Da laughed. "No, lass, you're not dead."

"…Is this a dream?"

He smiled. "Of sorts. And your time here's just about up."

"Da, no! I don't want to leave! I want to stay with you!"

"You can't, love. Not right now, at least." He smiled. "It isn't my decision. But we'll see each other again someday."

"You haven't even told me where-"

It got a little darker.

"There's no time for that now. Now go home and take care of your Ma! She's sick with worry from missin' you! Be good to your brother-" Deryn rolled her eyes. "-he does a lot for you," Da finished. "And don't you forget to tell that Alek how much he means to you," he said, taking her hands. "I can see it in your eyes. You have a wonderful life ahead of you, Deryn Sharp. Don't you let anyone tell you different."

Deryn nodded. "Aye, Da, I won't. But will you answer me just one question?"

He thought for a moment, then answered, "Aye, lass. Anything, but only one."

She thought for a moment. She had wondered from the moment she had seen the hot air balloon, but had just now remembered. "Can you fly up here?"

He threw back his head and laughed once more. "Aye, lass, of course you can."

She smiled. She felt his grip on her hands slipping. She tried to hang on tighter, but it made no difference.

_"Deryn! Deryn!"_ she heard as she saw her Da fading away. _"Deryn! Deryn!"_

* * *

She felt like she was being shaken.

She felt another jolt and saw bright, white light. As her eyes adjusted, she turned to see Jaspert sitting with his face mere inches from hers. He had a wild look in his eye. She made eye contact with him, still not sure what was going on, and winced when he yelled at the top of his lungs, "It's Deryn! She's awake!"


	29. Waking Up

**Thank you Daft Prince, C/Cita, Barking Lizards, jibblitmuffins3675, ****hamaiasa, ****EllieStone, Zaivex, C/Cita, and Jett-Wolfe98 for your awesome reviews! :D Each one of them makes my day!**

**C/Cita: You are too awesome. To prove to everyone just how much your reviews motivate me, I will have you know that the instant I saw your review, I got myself in gear and sat down and finished this chapter JUST FOR YOU. I'm sorry for how long it took! It was a little challenging arranging things the right way. Thank you for being patient! This one is less cliff-hangery, just in case it takes me a little longer with the next chapter! Thank you for pointing out the typo! I have corrected them. I don't know what I would do without you! :) And thank you for all of your reviews and compliments! I'm very glad you enjoyed the imagery and such! I tried to make it as satisfactory and descriptive as possible! And thanks for liking the climax/ending thang. :D I hope to hear from you soo about how I did on this chapter. :D **

**Zaivex: Hearing from you made my heart so happy. Thank you so, so, SO much for all of your compliments! I like Cocijo, too. He's a little trooper! :D I'm so happy to hear you like everything! Thank you so, so much for reviewing! I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it. You are awesome (and so is your friend!) and I look forward to hopefully hearing from you! :) **

**Gràinne = Graw-nya**

**Mokèlé-mbèmbé means "One that stops the flow of rivers." I believe it is pronounced "mo-keel-lay mem-bay". At least, that's how I say it. :) It is a monster rumored to live in the Congo River! When I first wrote this story, I planned on having something creepy in the water, so when I found out about this, it was too perfect to not use! If you've never heard of it and cryptzoology is your thing, look it up! It's really interesting.**

**All original storyline and characters belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**:)**

Deryn sat frozen in shock at the sudden outburst from Jaspert, soon sinking into and relishing the forgotten luxury of a pillow and comfortable bed beneath her. Her brother had tossed the banjo he was holding on the bed and scrambled out of the room the moment she looked at him; all the while loudly announcing that she was awake as he ran down the hall.

She felt a pinch in her hand and jumped. She hadn't even noticed it was outstretched; she sat up and saw Aurielo holding her hand in his and a needle above it in his other. He smiled at her broadly. "Miss Sharp! It is delightful to see you! If you don't mind, I'm just going to finish this," he pricked her fingertip again quickly and wiped the blood away with a cloth, stuffing it into a case.

While Aurielo was fussing with that, Deryn pulled her hand back and examined her surroundings with wide eyes. Everything was so _bright_. Gone was the grass and Da and the lovely blue sky, instead she was inside of what seemed to be some sort of gazebo. If she turned to the left, she could see through the pillars outside into a very pretty garden. Trees were everywhere, but not of the jungle. There was ivy wrapped around the pillars and some tree branches even peeked in between them, dropping fragrant, lovely blossoms on the floor. She could hear songbirds, not howler monkeys. It reminded her of the glen back home. And the smell, the smell was absolutely glorious. It smelled of lakes and woods and flowers and every sweet and pleasant thing Deryn had ever smelled in her life. It was almost intoxicating in a way.

"Ah! There we are. Just testing your blood for anything that shouldn't be there, but your being awake is likely because there isn't. You've been sleeping for two weeks," he continued, matter-of-factly.

_Two weeks_? She couldn't have been asleep for two barking weeks. Why, it felt like just yesterday that she-

"Ifell," Deryn said aloud. It felt strange hearing her voice again.

Aurielo sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Indeed you did. Quite a tumble, if I do say." He rifled through the stack of papers on the nightstand. "Yes, let's see… Ah! You may now add a fractured wrist and a badly, re-wounded knee to your repertoire, Miss Sharp. Not to mention a nasty stab – and with a poisoned knife, at that."

Her eyes widened. The words "poison" and "knife" were never her favorites, especially put next to each other in the same sentence. Deryn felt positively overwhelmed.

"But you're going to be fine," he finished with a smile. "Are you feeling all right?"

Well, that was a relief at least. She nodded. "Aye, I think I'm all right." Her knee did hurt just a bit along with a general ache in the back of her head, and her wrist was uncomfortable in the splint it was set in, but other than that she felt fine. "I don't understand," Deryn began, trying to organize all the questions she had into order. "Where am I?"

He smiled at her. "Currently, you are in the pavilion in my rose garden. We thought the fresh air might be better for you."

She processed the information before continuing. "I'm here, at your house," she said in a questioning tone while looking at Aurielo for confirmation. He nodded. "But how did I get here?"

"I brought you," Cocijo said as he entered the room.

"Cocijo!" Deryn said as he pulled a chair up next to Aurielo. Though it had only been a short amount of time since she'd last seen him, something about him seemed different. Wiser, perhaps; Deryn couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, it was nice. He smiled at her brightly. Bovril scampered from his shoulder and onto the bed, rolling about on her lap contentedly.

"Hello, Deryn," he began. "Yes, it was I that brought you here, but I can hardly take any of the credit for you being alive," he said. "Themba is to thank, and more so than I. All I did was bring you to and fro. He was the one who saved you. You died, Deryn!"

"_Died?" _she repeated. So that time with Da hadn't been just a dream; no wonder he couldn't explain it to her!

"Well, _technically _you did," Aurielo corrected. "But it wasn't for long."

Cocijo nodded and continued. "Luckily Themba had an extra bit of life essence left. Not even that brought you totally back, though. It was Aurielo."

Aurielo smiled. "Themba was the one who started your heart again, bringing you back to life, but you were in a deep coma. We tried everything, but nothing would wake you up. Doctor Barlow helped me concoct a fascinating bit of medicine. While I suspect that helped greatly, I think there may have been a bit more to it than that."

"Oh?" Deryn asked.

"Yes. Alek was by your side every moment since you arrived. He refused to leave you; we nearly had to force him to eat!" Aurielo laughed robustly, and then leaned in close to her. "I suspect there were… Other forces at work that helped greatly in your recovery."

Deryn felt her face flush a bit as Cocijo looked at her mischievously, understanding perfectly well what he meant.

"Yes, Aurielo is _quite_ a marvel at medicine!" came Doctor Barlow's enthusiastic voice as she burst into the room with Tazza. "It is a miracle in and of itself that you made it in time. Any later and you may have been beyond our aid," she said with a grimace. She shook it off and sat down on the edge of the bed. She placed her hand over the back of Deryn's, squeezing it gently. "I am very glad to see you, my dear." Tazza jumped up onto the bed to nuzzle Deryn's hand and lick her face. She petted the thylacine a bit (much to Bovril's chagrin), chuckling, before she heard a loud crash from the hall.

Everyone in the room jumped, and in came Jaspert at full speed. "Deryn! Heavens above, I can't believe it!" he said as he jumped on the bed and wrapped his arms around her in one fluid motion.

Before there was time for Deryn to react to Jaspert's sudden embrace, another crash came from the hall; only this time it was quieter. In came Newkirk looking especially guilty. He cleared his throat. "Um, sorry about the vase, sir. Wobbly table," he mumbled apologetically.

Doctor Barlow glared at him while Aurielo assured him it was quite all right. Deryn couldn't contain her laughter. "Barking spiders, Newkirk! What are you doing here?"

He opened his mouth to answer but Doctor Barlow did instead. "Since you and Aleksandar… left my employment two years ago, right before a rather important mission," she added with an annoyed tone, "I was forced to find a _replacement_ rather quickly," she said, eyeing Newkirk irritably with the last few words.

"It's lovely to see you looking well, Miss Sharp," Newkirk said, nodding his head politely.

"Blisters, don't call me that!" Deryn laughed at him. "That's my mother's name." Then Deryn remembered the entire purpose of coming home in the first place. Barking spiders, how could she forget! She looked at Jaspert. "Where's Ma?"

"Deryn Sharp, you wretched girl!" a familiar, menacing voice called from down the hall, getting closer with each word. "Makin' your mother practically push up the daisies with worry, never a letter or note, and so skinny! Have you even eaten since you left us?" she said just as she entered the room. Her face was flushed, just as it always was whenever she was irritated. Her hands on her hips, frown on her face. She looked quite agitated, but quite well.

She looked much, much better than Deryn had been led to believe. She glanced up at her, eyes guilty and sheepish. "Ma, I'm so sorry-"

"Oh, doll! Come here!" She threw her arms around her and wept. Deryn held onto her as tears unbidden escaped her own eyes, feeling so incredibly grateful and relieved beyond words to see her mother alive and well. She took Deryn's hand, smiling, and settled beside her.

"You're lucky, you know, you've caught her in this mood. When you had the 'nerve to show up here unconscious'," Jaspert said, poorly imitating Ma's voice (though Deryn knew he wasn't really trying in the first place), "she was ready to skin you alive!"

Deryn couldn't help but laugh. "I've missed both of you, too."

A small, dark-haired lady came in a few moments later. She was carrying a large, heavy-looking plate of fruit and looked like she was feeling a bit out of place. She quietly walked over near Jaspert.

"Deryn, this is the love of my life, Gràinne," he said while beaming up at her, swiping an apple.

Gràinne set the plate down on the nightstand and swatted his hands away. "Get off!" she said, rolling her eyes and trying not to smile at his antics. She gave Deryn a warm, kind look and extended her hand. "It's lovely to see you," she said with a thick Scottish accent. "Your brother convinced me to come with him and your mother."

"Did he?"

"Aye, I don't know what I was thinking," she said with a wink.

Deryn was confident that she was going to like Gràinne.

Bauer and Hoffman came in shortly after, giving their polite greetings to Deryn. Hoffman's arm was still in a sling though he was looking much better. Bauer's face was a bit bruised here and there, but he seemed well. He and Cocijo sat in the corner and chatted away happily, thick as thieves. Jaspert was sitting on the edge of the bed, obviously engrossed in whatever conversation he was taking part in with Newkirk. Gràinne sat next to him chatting away with Doctor Barlow. Bovril and the boffin's loris were sneaking about under the furniture, leaving piles of fruit here and there most likely for snacking on later (one of which Tazza was eyeing hungrily). Ma was talking to one of the servants about some sort of flower she'd seen outside, and Hoffman and Aurielo were going on about medical blether. Everyone seemed content.

But there was still one person missing. Two, actually, if Volger was to be considered. Deryn did have questions she'd like to ask him; he'd told her he had a barking son after all! But that wasn't who she was thinking of.

_"_Where's Alek?" she said loudly, interrupting all of the conversations simultaneously.

Jaspert answered through a mouthful of apple, "He's gone back to Austria."

Deryn's heart sank. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind of him having to go back to being an emperor after all was said and done.

Jaspert smiled. "But he's coming back a week from yesterday. Me and that count fellow nearly had to drag him out of this room to get him to go."

"But what is he doing there?" Deryn asked.

Doctor Barlow piped in with a bothersome smile that clearly indicated she knew something Deryn did not. "Something to do with the affairs-of-state, I believe."

Deryn raised an eyebrow at her, but was pulled away from the thought as the visitors turned their attention toward her.

"You know," Bauer said. "You never told us what happened up there. On top of the temple, I mean,"

"Aye, we'd like to hear it!" said Newkirk. "Tell us all about it!"

"If you're feeling up to it, of course," said Ma.

"Yes," Aurielo said slowly. "You really ought to be resting, Miss Sharp."

"No, I'm fine!" she said, trying to sound as awake as possible. Truthfully, she was tired, but she'd been asleep for two barking weeks! That was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

So she sat up in bed, Ma adjusting the pillows behind her back, and with everyone closely surrounding her, she started at the beginning.

"What was he even trying to do?" Jaspert asked once she was through.

"I haven't a clue," Deryn answered truthfully. Well, she knew full well _what_ he was trying to do; he had a mad barking plan to kill Alek and Cocijo, but it was the _why_ she was unsure of.

Aurielo sighed. "We still haven't figured that out, but I believe it was something that he believed would make him very, very powerful. He told me once that he found a book, an ancient book containing spells and rituals pertaining to alchemy."

Deryn furrowed her brow. "Alchemy? He wanted gold?"

Aurielo shook his head. "Not quite. Alchemy is often used by those seeking gold, but also by others seeking power, like Dmitri was. We never recovered the book from the Temple, but we know it had something to do with Quetzalcoatl. He intended to sacrifice both Cocijo and Aleksandar to the creature, but for what purpose I do not know."

"Quetzal what?" Newkirk asked, only to be harshly shushed by Doctor Barlow.

"Barking spiders," she said softly. "But what did Alek have to do with it?" It seemed like poor Alek had been pulled into the fray for no reason.

"Based upon what I have studied, my dear, Alek was the other half. Both he and Cocijo had mothers of lesser status, making them only half-royal in Dmitri's mind. I don't know how he found out about him, but he obviously knew."

"You mean... He's been planning this for two sodding years?" said Jaspert.

Aurielo shrugged. "Either that or everything he needed for the ceremony fell into place."

Deryn shivered. It was alarming, thinking that providence itself would allow such awful events to take place. Dmitri was definitely mad enough to be planning for two years; that had to be it.

"His body wasn't recovered," Aurielo added. "It is difficult to get into the River, especially with that fabrication swimming around. But with that creature in there, he could not have survived. It would simply be impossible."

"Mokèlé-mbèmbé!" Cocijo interrupted.

Everyone looked at him. "What?" Deryn asked.

" Mokèlé-mbèmbé. I don't think it was a fabrication at all. I never got a good look at it, but to me it seemed almost... what's that word, Bovril?"

"Prehistoric," the loris chimed from a pile of grapes. Chuckles and giggles came from the other loris immediately following Bovril's answer.

"Prehistoric! Thank you!"

"You're saying it was a dinosaur?" Deryn said with a frown.

"No, not quite. It's more like a giant crocodile that can stand. No one knows where he came from, but I think it's been in that River longer than anything people have put there. When I took you to Themba and told him what had happened, he told me about an ancient legend of the Congo. It's the about Protector of the River; they call him Mokèlé-mbèmbé. Themba said he's often violent and unkind to those that enter the River without permission or with ill-intent, but he had been still for a long time. Perhaps Dmitri unintentionally woke him up."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "A crocodile?" That would make sense; when she nearly fell into the water with it, she did get a rather good look at it (better of a look than she would have liked), and it did look quite crocodilian.

"But what about what Volger and I saw in the caverns? That had barking tentacles." _That_ she was sure of.

Cocijo blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

Aurielo added, "There are caverns below where the Temple was constructed, but I never visited. Dmitri did tell me they connect to the River, however."

Deryn's eyes widened at that prospect. "So whatever was down there could be in the River now, with that other monster?"

"Are you sure it had tentacles?" Cocijo said skeptically.

"Yes! What else could have grabbed the barking Count and pulled him under the water?"

Cocijo was quiet for a moment. "I don't know." Aurielo shrugged.

"What about his sister, then?" Deryn asked, choosing to forget the disconcerting fact that there might be two wild, ancient beasties now roaming free in the Congo River. It was too much to think about. At least the people of the Congo were wise and respectful; they would, no doubt, be careful about things. Hopefully one day they could get back there and find both of the creatures, though.

"Sister?" Aurielo said in a tone of surprise.

Cocijo nodded. "Yes, he had a little wooden doll he kept saying was his sister. He was talking to it like it was a person… It was strange."

Aurielo looked thoughtful for a moment. "What did he say her name was?"

"Vasilisa," Deryn answered.

He shook his head. "No, I never heard of any such person. We may never know, but I will have Haamid look into it," he said, motioning for the servant Ma had been talking to about flowers. "In the meantime, Miss Sharp, I must insist that you rest."

Deryn opened her mouth to protest but yawned involuntarily instead.

"Come on, love," Ma said as she removed the pillows that had been holding Deryn upright. "Aurielo's told us we can stay as long as we like while you convalesce," she said, leaning in close and tucking a stray piece of hair behind Deryn's ear. "It's so kind of him. It's a marvelous house, and there's a lovely garden we'll walk in later."

She smiled at her mother as everyone else trickled out of the room, quietly bidding her well. "How long have you been here?"

"Just about three weeks," her mother answered.

Deryn furrowed her brow. "Almost three weeks?" Aurielo would have been in Tikal then. "How did you get here?"

Aurielo smiled knowingly. "Doctor Barlow told me your mother was ill and I sent for them as soon as I could. I'm so glad to see she's improving."

Ma nodded as she inhaled and closed her eyes. "Something about the air, it made me feel better the instant I breathed it in. It's lovely, isn't it?"

"Mm, it is," Deryn agreed.

"Right then," Ma said, getting up. "I'll leave you to sleep, lass."

"Wait! Ma," Deryn said just as her mother was about to exit.

"Yes, doll?"

"Can we write to Alek to tell him I'm all right?" Surely he would be wondering about her (really, if Deryn knew Alek and she did, she knew he'd be worried) and perhaps if they wrote to him he might even come back a little sooner.

Her mother smiled with, if Deryn was not mistaken, a hint of mischief. "Well, actually I was thinking: let's surprise him instead. Wouldn't that be a marvel for him, to see you well?"

Deryn was a bit surprised by the mischief in her mother's eyes. She wasn't exactly keen on waiting another week to see Alek. But then again, the message might not get to him in time to make any difference. He'd probably keel over in shock; she'd have to be careful not to scare him too terribly. She grinned at her. "Aye, let's."


	30. New Beginnings

**Super-duper special thank you to Daft Prince, bookworm250250, Barking Lizards, SecretKeeper1095, Zmusic2014, EllieStone, WolfishMoon, jibblitmuffins3675, Jett-Wolfe98, and Cita for reviewing! You guys are so incredibly awesome and amazing and lovely and I thank each of you from the very bottom of my heart for being so kind and honest and encouraging. All of you rock! :D**

**Cita: Thank you so much, Kind One! :D I'm very pleased you liked the last few chapters. :)**

**Eee! All of the things you wrote made me smile! Thank you, really, for all of your feedback. I really, really appreciate it.**

**I'm glad you read the little facts I share! :D I sometimes feel like tricksy, like I'm sneaking in vegetables into some sort of dessert I'm feeding to everyone. Hey, if you're going to read, why not learn something while you're at it? :)**

**Really, I can't tell you enough how much your reviews mean to me, everyone! If you're going to take the time to read this and write to me, responding to your reviews is really the least I could do!**

**I'm so flattered! :D**

**Themba loves you, too . :) You noticed the Rafiki part! Did you know that in the Swahili language the word _rafiki_ means "friend"? I think that's totally neato! You're most welcome! Thank _you_ for motivating me to do so. Seriously, I saw your comment and was like, "I'M DOING THIS NOW." Thanks! :D**

**Please keep in mind that I have no idea whatsoever what it would be like if a royal renounced his throne, so bear with me. :D**

**Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek are buried in Schloss Artstetten, their country home. I had trouble finding specifics, so I left that part kind of vague.**

**_Ch'abej chik_****is the K'iche form of 'goodbye'.**

**All right, I know this chapter is kind of divided a bit (with the lines), but I wanted to tie off more of those loose ends some of you may have been wondering about! And if every single one of those plot points isn't answered, definitely keep in mind what Daft Prince said in his last review, some of those ends are being left untied for a reason. ;) I hope no one minds!**

**Also, remember when I said there would be thirty chapters? Well, I LIED. There is one more and I have posted it for you, along with a big, fat author's note (Make sure you read it, because if you've reviewed at any point, you're in it!). **

**All original characters and storyline belong to Scott Westerfeld; I own nothing!**

**And now, lovely, beautiful, wonderful readers, here is the ending of Tikal. Please let me know what you think. Thankyouthankyouthankyou for reading.**

**:)**

_She might not wake up._

Doctor Barlow's words reverberated in Alek's mind as he rubbed his pounding temples with his fingers.

The judge repeated the question impatiently, causing Alek to snap back to reality.

"And you, Aleksandar of Hohenberg, hereby give up your rights and title as Emperor to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, therefore abdicating your right to participate in any affairs of state whatsoever?"

"Yes," he answered, first in English then quickly he corrected himself in German. He'd been around Deryn and Cocijo so long he'd automatically been speaking in English as of late.

"And you understand that this will make you of informal social stature; that is, you will be of the same social standing as your subjects, no longer superior to them in any way."

Alek nodded. The judge raised an eyebrow, perhaps questioning Alek's motives. "It is final, then. You will make the formal announcement immediately following this."

The courtroom rose as the judge cracked his gavel against the block, and Volger placed a firm hand on Alek's shoulder. He nodded at him with what appeared to be a look of reassurance; Alek found it surprising but encouraging.

In fact, the Count had been strangely pleasant as of late. Volger explained to Alek on the way to Austria what had happened when he and Hoffman had gotten to Africa. Apparently Dmitri hadn't been expecting them to show up.

And all of that trouble when he and Deryn escaped. It had bothered Alek, of course, though he didn't say anything to the Count. It upset him that Deryn, in a way, gave up her life for a man who was never particularly nice to her. Not that Alek wanted to see Volger die either; it upset him because it reminded him all the more of how he had failed to save Deryn as he had promised. Perhaps winning another chance at life had finally broken the Count's stoic demeanor.

Thinking in a purely logical manner, Alek would have abdicated the throne even if he didn't think she would come to. An assassination attempt had been made, after all; even Volger admitted it might be dangerous to return. The radicals had burned his palace. All of the staff had made it out unscathed, thankfully, but those rebels had been hoping Alek was inside. He knew the people were tired of him. They were tired of royalty and emperors in general; they wanted their _freedom. _

And so did he.

The time of emperors was over for Austria-Hungary.

* * *

Alek took a deep breath over the microphone just inches under his mouth. He looked out and studied the faces watching him. He saw anger, curiosity, a few sneers, and a few people looking downright uninterested. He swallowed. He knew that he wanted to do this; he'd signed the necessary documents and sworn the proper oaths. But all that seemed much easier than actually _declaring_ it. It was now or never. Before he could change his mind, he spoke.

"People of Austria-Hungary, I renounce my role as your Emperor and declare this nation to be free to elect its own government from this day forth."

The crowd was silent for a moment, and just when Alek was bracing himself for the insults, the people gave a cheer as the orchestra struck up the national anthem. Alek found himself breathing a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. He expected himself to feel unsure afterwards but he felt so relieved, so free; elated_._ The people actually looked at him with smiles and happy expressions; not the usual sour sneers and cold glares he had grown used to. They were glad to be free, no longer burdened by the weight of a decaying empire.

And so was he.

* * *

"Well, that's my train," Illeya said, eyeing the engine that was departing to Saint Petersburg momentarily. He shifted on his feet anxiously.

"Thank you for taking me with you," the boy said while looking at the intricate glass ceiling of the station. "It was very kind of you to make sure I got back to Russia."

Alek smiled softly. Though he may have been terrible to Deryn and Cocijo, he was still a child. No excuse for all of the awful things he had done, of course, but something in his demeanor had become more... innocent than the first time Alek had seen him. In a way, he reminded Alek of himself when he was young; they both had a portion of their childhoods taken from them. Of course, Illeya was younger than Alek was when his parents had died, so hopefully he'd be able to get some of that back. The new boyish twinkle in his eye gave Alek a feeling he would.

"You're very welcome," Alek said looking down at him. "I hope the rest of your trip goes well."

Illeya nodded, then looked as though he was going to say something else. He fidgeted with his hands, glancing away awkwardly. "When you... If she... wakes up; Deryn, that is, will you please tell her something for me?"

Alek nodded. "Of course."

The train's whistle squealed, followed by a hiss of steam.

"Tell her," he started with a guilty tone. "Please tell her I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. And Cocijo, too. Tell them I'm sorry for being so rotten to them."

Alek placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll tell them."

Illeya swallowed and nodded again in thanks. "I hope they will forgive me." He then picked up his small bag and boarded the train without another word.

"Are you ready, sir?" Volger asked while Alek watched Illeya get on board. "We could take the train to Italy from here. I saw one bound for Rome just a few platforms over."

A thought suddenly came to Alek's mind. "There's actually one last stop I'd like to make, if you don't mind."

* * *

He stood in the quiet, still crypt; his breathing making the only noise. He was directly in front of his parents' graves, running his hand over the cold marble. It had been so long since he'd seen them. He hadn't even been able to go to their funeral! He wished he could he seen them one last time, just to tell them that he loved them, hug them a little longer.

Alek wondered what it would be like if they were here now. He probably wouldn't know Deryn, first of all, which was something Alek had a difficult time envisioning. His life would be calm, quiet, and perhaps downright boring.

The thought of Deryn came with a jolt of anxiety.

What if he had to bury her next?

He shook away the grim thought. Aurielo and Doctor Barlow may have said she might not wake up, but she was still alive. He'd spent every waking moment he could at her side, holding her hand, pleading for her to come back to him. She hadn't, not yet at least. And that was one thing he did not want to think about unless he absolutely had to. It may have been foolish, but Alek didn't want to give up hope yet.

He pulled away from the marble and reached into his pocket, toying with the trinket inside. It was so kind of Ysobel to save it from the fire for him, along with Mother's pearl necklace. He very much hoped to give that to Deryn someday. He pulled out Father's pocket watch he intended to keep for himself; the one with Mother's picture inside. It was the only picture Alek had of her. When he was young, he'd never thought his mother to be particularly beautiful. He never thought of her as a separate being aside from the person he was used to always seeing. But now that he was studying the small portrait within the pocketwatch, Alek would most definitely say his mother was very, very pretty. He was very, very thankful to Ysobel.

"Are you ready, Aleksandar?" the Count said softly, interrupting his thoughts.

This was his New Beginning. It was a bit nerve-wracking, thinking of living a brand-new, completely different life than what he was used to, but he had no other choice. He needed to move on, create a life that was his very own. He would miss Mother and Father, not any more than he already did but the idea of a new life without their memory around every corner seemed distant. But they wouldn't want him to dwell on it. They would want him to live a happy life, which was exactly what he was determined to do.

He placed the watch back into his pocket. "Yes, I'm ready."

* * *

On the two-day train ride headed back to Italy, Alek mostly slept. He'd been up with Deryn almost every night for nearly two weeks; he was absolutely exhausted. He was awakened early the next morning by Volger when they arrived at the Italian coast and were getting ready to board the ferry to Sicily.

He sat opposite the Count on the deck with the other passengers, staring at the sparkling sea surrounding them.

The Count cleared his throat. "Aleksandar," he began.

Alek turned to meet his gaze.

"I'm sure you are anxious to get back to Miss Sharp, but I have something I would like to discuss with you."

He strummed his fingers on the table, acting almost nervous.

"Aleksandar, you know that I've dedicated a good portion of my life to this family."

"Of course."

"And would you agree that I did my best to ensure your safety and seat on the throne?"

Alek thought for a moment. It wasn't like the Count ever looked out for his_ happiness _in particular; he could remember parts of his teenage years where he had been plain miserable. But he had always been safe; the Count always made sure he was _safe_. "Yes. Volger, what are you getting at?"

Volger sighed then cleared his throat. "Aleksandar, I am asking to be released from your services."

Alek raised an eyebrow. He didn't think he'd live to see the day when Count Volger would ask to resign. Still, though, it wasn't _too_ much of a surprise. Alek was growing up and the Count couldn't be around forever. Even he must have other interests than looking after the now former emperor of Austria-Hungary. Surely he had a right to know, so he simply asked, "Why?"

"I have a son. A son I wish to find."

Alek blinked. _That_ was a surprise. "A _son_?"

Volger nodded. "I don't know who or where he is, but I must find him."

"You have a son?" Alek repeated slowly, still not sure if he heard correctly.

Volger nodded again.

"With whom?" Alek blurted out. It was completely rude and inappropriate to ask, but it came out involuntarily. And he may have been a little curious.

The Count looked out at the sea around them. "Her name was Esmeralda. We met in Vienna just over twenty years ago. She was passing through on a caravan."

"A gypsy?" It didn't matter much to Alek; he, if anyone, knew that love knows no bounds; political or social bounds in particular. But Volger had always beseeched him about marrying someone of equal status, and here he was with a gypsy! That sly Count!

"She was. There was something about her… A strange sort of beauty," he said, small smile playing on his lips. "We fell in love immediately. It was the happiest time of my life."

"What happened?"

Volger looked back at him. "I intended to marry her as soon as possible, but my father wouldn't allow it. He hated her for not being from an aristocratic family. He forbid us from seeing each other, and when he found out she was pregnant, he threw me out of the house, refusing to help us in any way whatsoever."

"What did you do?" Alek said, not noticing he was leaning forward in anticipation.

"We ran away. I inherited a bit of forest from an uncle, so I built a small cabin there," he said, sentimental smile making its way to him again. "It was a fine cabin, too; just next to a cherry grove. We used to go for walks in the meadow and pick cherries and spend hours eating them."

That sounded so simple, and quite appealing to Alek. So unlike the Count.

"We lived like that for some time; it was blissful. Then, a month before our son was due to arrive, my father came calling again. Now, you may not know this but I was friends with your father long before you were born."

Alek actually did know that, but he didn't want to interrupt.

"When your parents got married, your father asked me to be the preceptor to his first-born. I agreed to do so, much to my father's approval. He was very proud of me for accepting such a prestigious job. That was before I'd even met Esmé, so when we found out she was pregnant, I had forgotten I had taken an oath to your father."

"Surely Father would have understood!" Alek said, a bit louder than he intended. A few people on the deck glanced at them.

Volger nodded in agreement. "I have no doubt he would have, but oaths are not easy to get out of legally. And my father, of course, made as sure of that as he could. He made it virtually impossible for me; he threatened to have me arrested for treason if I even thought about running. After much debate, I decided it would be better for everyone if I honored that oath and left Esmeralda and our child. My father named me heir to his estate and title, making me Count, and died the very next morning."

He swallowed. "That made me realize that if I had only waited, if I had resisted his pressuring a little longer, I might have been able to stay with my family. I immediately regretted everything and went to find her. Oath or not, I was bound and determined to do the right thing."

"But she was gone. I searched the cabin, the cherry grove, the forest; but there was no trace of her. I looked for her for months on end, but she had disappeared. I even asked around the gypsy camps, but they refused to tell me anything."

"Wow," was all Alek managed to say. All this time he had thought Volger was just a cranky old Count, but all this time he had been _so wrong_.

"And so I was determined to salvage as much of my miserable existence as I could. I dedicated my life to your family, and your Father's wish of making sure you were one day Emperor of Austria-Hungary."

Suddenly it all made sense. The way he always pushed and pushed Alek to do his best, to try harder. Volger wanted him to be the son he never knew. "If you wanted me to grow up to become an emperor, why did you just let me renounce it so easily?"

Volger looked at him for a moment, as if he was working up the courage to speak.

"Because if you didn't, everything would have been wasted. Aleksandar, I do not want you to make the same mistake I did. No one made me happier than Esmé in the short time we were together, and I let her go because I was afraid of a scandal. It all seems so trite now. She didn't want to, you know. She was willing to run away with me. She was so willing for us to be a family, but I told her to go. If I could go back, I assure you that I would have done the right thing. I would have raised my child like a proper father, not some coward."

"Do you miss her?" Alek asked softly.

The Count's eyes glistened as he answered. "Every day."

Realization dawned on Alek's face. "It was you that sang to me, wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"_Edelweiss_. You used to come into the nursery when I was little and sing it to me, didn't you?"

The Count smiled softly. "I didn't think you would remember."

"Of course I did," Alek continued. "Father always used to tell me he hated singing, and it obviously wasn't Mother or Ysobel. I always liked that song, though. Thank you for that."

The Count nodded. "You're welcome. I remember when Ysobel caught me once; she scolded me and sent me out! You began to cry as soon as I handed her back to you."

Alek chuckled softly. That was just something Ysobel would do, and imagining her scolding the Count was a most amusing thought. "Did she know?"

Volger shook his head. "No one did."

"Your son, do you know anything about him?"

Volger shook his head. "Nothing for certain other than the month he was expected to arrive. His name, though; we did choose a name, but I would be very surprised if she used it as it was I that suggested it."

"What was it?"

"Your name. It was I that suggested it to your parents, actually. Esmé wanted to call him Alexandre, the French spelling, for her father."

Alek blinked at him. "_My_ name was _your_ idea?"

The Count nodded.

"I never knew that," he said quietly, slightly embarrassed.

"Other than that, I know nothing. And so, Aleksandar, I ask once again to be released from your services."

"No," Alek answered almost immediately.

The Count's eyes widened. "Alek, I think we would both agree that I have been loyal to you-"

"I'm going to help you."

Volger frowned. "You don't need to do that."

"I insist." Also, he was incredibly curious to see what Volger's child would be like.

The Count stood. "I'm sorry if any of this is overwhelming to you, Aleksandar. But it needed to be said."

"Of course. Volger," he called, as the Count began walking.

"Thank you. Not just for telling me, but everything. Father made a good choice when he chose you," he said quietly.

Volger nodded at him.

* * *

They arrived back at Aurielo's estate in the early afternoon. Haamid met them at the doors of the great house, telling them there was some sort of spill in the entryway, meaning they would have to go through the garden to get inside. Alek, at first, grumbled at the idea of having to wait five extra minutes to check on Deryn, but conceded when he realized a walk might be nice.

Volger having a _son_! It was so strange to think about. He couldn't imagine him with any sort of child. Whoever he was, he was expected to have been born the same month as Alek, and he may have even had the same name. _That_ was bizarre.

_Barking spiders_, he thought to himself as he pondered the situation.

He rounded a corner of bright yellow roses to be met with a familiar face.

"Cociijo!" he exclaimed.

The boy turned around and grinned at him. "Hello, Alek! It is so good to see you."

"Barking spiders!" came a small, familiar voice. A bush shook and out came Bovril, followed closely by Doctor Barlow's loris. Bovril ran up Alek's front and rested on his shoulder, nuzzling the side of his neck. Alek chuckled as he scratched Bovril behind the ears, much to the creature's enjoyment. "Hello, Bov," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't take you with me."

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but Bovril didn't seem to mind much," Cocijo said.

Alek chuckled. "Bovril seems to quite like you. How are you?"

Cocijo nodded. "I'm well. I'm very well."

Alek swallowed. "Is Deryn…?" He braced himself for the worst.

Cocijo looked away, trying not to smile.

Alek's stomach flip flopped. He looked at the boy quizzically, his heart pounding. "You mean she's…"

Cocijo smirked at him in response, looking just over his shoulder. Alek followed his gaze and turned around.

He placed a hand over his gaping mouth.

"_Mr. _Sharp_,_" said Bovril with a chuckle.

His breath caught in his throat; everything around him stopped. Her golden hair was down, blowing slightly in the breeze. She was wearing a dress like none Alek had never seen before; she looked ethereal, absolutely stunning. She still looked a little bruised here and there, but she was smiling. She was here. Awake and alive.

Surely he was dreaming.

But then she started moving towards him; her knee must have been hurt since it was more of a limp than a walk. This could be no dream. He ran to meet her; his feet pounding over the bridge as fast as he could move them.

She stopped for a moment, as if she was also questioning if this was real or not. He looked at her, drinking in the sight in front of him. She ran forward and stumbled into his arms; he caught her and held her tight, breathing in her scent, relishing the feeling of holding her.

"Alek," she said, "I'm so sorr-"

He interrupted her with a kiss, soft but sound.

After a moment, he pulled away. "Don't ever do that again," he said, pressing his forehead to hers. "Please promise me you will never do that again."

She nodded against his head. "Aye. I promise."

He studied her face. Her cheeks and lips were rosy; her color was back. Her eyes held their usual sparkle and life once again, much to Alek's relief.

"Oh, Deryn," he said softly as he pulled her into another hug. "I was so worried about you. What woke you up?"

She smirked a bit. "My barking brother's loud mouth."

He chuckled at her. "Have you seen your mother yet?"

"Aye," she answered. "She's brilliant. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier; it was here idea to wait until you showed up."

"That's all right," he said. "I probably wouldn't have been able to concentrate on anything if I'd known."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Just what have you been up to?"

"Would you like to walk with me? If you'll be all right, of course. I don't want you to overexert yourself."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Aye, I'll be fine. I've been walking with Jaspert every day, so my knee's nearly good as new," she declared as she took a step. She winced as she set her foot down. "But give me your arm, please, just in case."

He smiled at her stubbornness. She was back.

He gladly obliged and offered his arm. "It would be my pleasure."


	31. Happy Endings

Alek slowed his pace for Deryn as she stopped and stuck her face in a large, pink rose, inhaling deeply.

"Mmm! Lovely, that is! Here, have a smell," she said, grabbing his arm and forcefully pulling him towards the flower. He leaned forward and sniffed; she released his arm when he gave her a satisfying reaction. She just couldn't get over the loveliness of this place; they flowers, the woods, the smells, the light. It was almost magical. And though she still wasn't sure if it had been real or just a vivid dream, this place wasn't bad to come back to after being in the grassy place with Da.

They had been walking for a good hour; their 'walk through the garden' going on much longer than they had originally intended. But that didn't bother either of them in the least. They had been talking non-stop, filling each other in on this and that. They were by the shores of the lake now; the sun still shining high in the sky. Passers-by smiled and nodded at them as they approached a bench.

"Aye, let's sit just for a squick," she said, looking out and around at the lake. (Truthfully, her knee was bothering her just a little.) "It's lovely here."

"Mm, it is," he said as he sat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her gently on the temple. "I'm so glad you're well," he said into her ear. "I missed you terribly."

"Aye, likewise," she said while scooting closer to him. "I can't believe it's been two weeks… What exactly were you doing in Austria?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful, though the idea of him going back wasn't pleasing in the least. There was a gleam in his eye, something that told Deryn he knew something she didn't, and she wasn't quite sure what to think of it. He hadn't told her what he'd been up to yet, and she suspected that to be the reason.

"Renouncing my title," he said simply, as though he did so on a regular basis.

Her jaw nearly hit the ground. "Alek, that's everything you've worked so hard for your whole life-"

"No," he interrupted. "That's my past. Austria doesn't want an emperor; it needs something different."

"Oh, Alek," she said softly. She remembered well when he had almost done the same thing two years ago, but it was Volger that convinced him to wait until they were legally wed to go about renouncing. _Anything can happen,_ the Count had said. And though it annoyed Deryn to admit it, he had been right. "Can you do that, even though you were already emperor?"

"Yes," he answered quietly. "It took a bit of doing, but I was able to. Deryn," he said, taking her hands and turning towards her. "I would renounce a thousand empires if I could be with you forever."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"I lost you once, Deryn, and now that I have you back again, I will not take that for granted."

She cleared her throat. "What are you saying?"

He looked her in the eyes. "You saved me, Deryn. You showed my love, you brought happiness and light back into my life when I thought there would never be any again."

"We save each other, daftie. That's how it works," smiling at him a bit.

He chuckled at her, then reached into his pocket, pulling out something very familiar. Something so familiar, in fact, Deryn couldn't stop a small gasp from escaping her lips.

"You gave it back to me, if you remember," he said, toying with it. "I've kept it with me ever since."

She nodded slowly. "Aye, I remember."

"Deryn," he began. "I love you. I love you more than I will ever be able to say." He swallowed and looked away, chuckling nervously to himself. He had a habit of laughing whenever he was very nervous, and though it didn't happen often, it was something Deryn (and Bovril) found thoroughly amusing.

"Spit it out," Bovril chirped from the other end of the bench, bemused at the obvious nervousness of its master.

In one fluid motion, he was down on one knee in front of her. He took her hand and said, "Deryn Sharp, will you honor me by marrying me?"

It took her a moment to process what he'd said, for it came out very fast and rather mumbled. He must have been more nervous than his laughter had led her to believe. She smiled at him once she got it, feeling her insides flip-flop a squick or two. "Aye, I'd love to."

He slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her, familiar electricity crackling between them once again. Deryn couldn't help but smile into his lips. He broke away and pulled her closer to him into a hug.

"Believe me or not, that was much easier this time," he said with a soft chuckle.

She couldn't help but laugh at that. She pulled away from him laughing, and kissed him once more.

She liked the heft of the ring on her finger. Though Deryn had always found it to be large and clunky, she also thought it was very, very beautiful. Barking spiders, Alek's poor mother must have had to carry her left hand with her right because the stone was so barking huge! It was an odd stone, too; not a diamond like Ma's. Right after he had given it to her the first time, Alek explained that it was something called an aquamarine. It made no difference to Deryn; it was the color of the sky and she liked it very much.

"When?" she asked, trying to sound casual while she studied the jewel. It was more to be silly than anything; maybe once they gotten back home they could find someone that would marry them without a fancy wedding; it wasn't like they needed one and they didn't have much money anyways.

He let out another nervous chuckle. "Well, that's just it-"

"There you are!" Cocijo said breathlessly, sauntering up to them cheerily.

A bit more harshly than she meant to, she said, "Aye, we're here. What do you want?"

Cocijo looked at her, then at Alek, and said, "You didn't tell her?"

"Not yet," he replied quietly.

"Tell me what?"

"I have to leave now," he said.

Deryn's expression dropped. She had been with Cocijo nearly every day for two years. She didn't know what to expect without him. She'd never really thought about it. "You can't go!"

"I've already stayed longer than I should have," he replied. "I promised Alek I'd stay with you until he returned, and he's back now."

She crossed her arms.

"I wish that I could, but I have responsibilities now, remember?" he said softly. That's right! Cocijo was a king now!

"Blisters, you've got a kingdom to look after," she said as she stood.

"We'll walk with you," Alek said, scooping up Bovril and placing his hand around Deryn's waist, gently moving her along.

They walked around the edge of the lake, more towards the village. There, waiting on the main dock was Amidamaru. There was now an apparatus that resembled a saddle-and-reins on his back and around his head. That would certainly make the long trip back to Guatemala much more comfortable. A few men were around the bird, keeping an eye on him while one man strapped Cocijo's bag on the apparatus.

"This is it," Cocijo said, motioning to the enormous eagle. "I'm going to leave as soon as they're ready." He turned to them. "I suppose this is goodbye." He stood there in silence for a moment; Deryn didn't know what to say. Alek stepped forward first.

"Cocijo," he said. "It was so truly an honor to meet you. I cannot thank you enough for watching over Deryn, for helping us get out Tikal. And for sending that drawing in the first place; I owe you everything."

Cocijo smiled. "You are a lucky man, Aleksandar," he said, turning to Deryn with a wink. "Don't you ever forget that."

Bovril made a protesting sort of sound from Alek's shoulder.

"Goodbye, Bovril! You're the best loris I've ever met," he said while scratching the creature right behind the ears, much to Bovril's delight.

The loris raised its head under Cocijo's hand. "_Ch'abej chik_."

"Ah!" replied the boy. "I see you have been eavesdropping," he chuckled. "Well done, my friend. _Ch'abej chik_to you, Bovril." He gave the loris a pat and handed it back to Alek, who set the creature back onto his shoulder and nodded at Cocijo. Alek and the boy embraced for a moment, and then Alek stepped back, giving Cocijo and Deryn a bit of space for a proper goodbye.

"I shall miss you," Cocijo said to Deryn quietly. She looked into the boy's face. He had once seemed so small and childlike, but not now. Those brown eyes now looked somehow wiser, the eyes of a true king. She was going to miss him dearly.

She nodded. "Aye, likewise," she managed to say before clenching her jaw, fighting back the unexpected tears brimming in her eyes.

_Deryn Sharp, don't be such a ninny! _she mentally ordered herself.

"Deryn, the Mayans are forever in your debt. You," he behind her looked at Alek, "and Aleksandar are more than welcome in our lands, anytime. We would be honored to have you visit."

Deryn nodded again, too choked up to get any words out. Cocijo noticed, and pulled her into a tight hug.

He looked at her with a sad face. "Here, I want you to have this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black silk cord. He slipped it over Deryn's head and when she noticed the jaguar-shaped pendant hanging from it, her eyes widened. "Cocijo, I can't! Your father-"

He silenced her with a raised hand. "Take it, so you will remember me."

She threw her arms around him again. "Oh, Cocijo. Of course I won't forget you. Thank you for being my friend, for looking out for me all those times. If you're ever in Europe again, make sure to look us up."

He nodded and touched the pendant. "May the spirit of the jaguar rest upon you, and keep you safe wherever you go. I am so glad to have known you, Deryn."

She nodded, fighting the tears welling up in her eyes again. "Aye, be good now! I won't be around to keep after you," she said, her tone light but the words struck her heavily.

"Until we meet again," he said, boyish grin spreading across his face. "And I am sure we will."

And with that, he walked towards Amidamaru.

Deryn absentmindedly placed her hand over the pendant as he mounted on the makeshift saddle. She slowly backed up to Alek, all the while watching the bird get ready to takeoff. She knew they'd have to circle the lake and fly back up over the house to get in the right direction.

Subconsciously, her feet began moving. And then she moved just a little quicker; she walked faster and faster, leaving Alek a few steps behind her. As Amidamaru started flying, she broke into a full run, tearing around the corners of each ledge to make it to the top in time. Higher and higher, she ran to the very top and to the edge by the waterfall overhung. She stopped just in time, as a huge gust of wind combined with the momentum practically lifted her heels right off the ground. Alek caught up with her and placed his hands securely on her waist, stopping her from blowing away.

Cocijo and Amidamaru flew up from beneath to catch the updraft, looking magnificent in the sunlight. Hair and dress billowing madly, she lifted her palm towards them. "_Ch'abej chik_," she whispered. As if he'd heard, Cocijo turned, and raised his hand to her, doing the same thing. She remembered the first time they had met; he'd taught her Mayan greetings. This was the Mayan way of saying 'goodbye'. She felt a fear tears escape her eyes, but she knew not all tears were bad. She would miss him, but she had Alek and a whole new life ahead of her.

"Goodbye, Cocijo."

She stood there for a moment, eyes fixed on the now small smudge of Amidamaru and Cocijo on the horizon. Alek still had his hands firmly around her waist.

"I have a feeling we'll meet him again," he said softly.

She broke her gaze to look at him. He smiled at her; his lovely, wonderful smile. "Aye," she answered. "I think so, too."

He kissed her cheek. "If you're ready to go back to the house now, I have something I'd like to show you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"

She took his extended arm.

They began walking; Alek unwilling to tell her anything where exactly they were going or why.

He led her over the bridge to the garden, but instead of going that way they went straight back to the villa of the house, where seemingly everyone was waiting. She put a hand over her mouth.

Deryn looked at the smiling faces of Doctor Barlow, Klopp, Bauer, Hoffman, Newkirk, Ma, Jaspert, Gràinne, Aurielo, and even Volger.

She had thought that Alek meant in a few _months,_ not a few _minutes! _That sneaky boots. Still, though, Deryn wasn't complaining.

"Do you remember what I said about second chances?" Alek asked cooly, stopping at the crowd of people. The people separated, forming an aisle at the end which was a large arched trellis positively covered in roses, under which Captain Dakkar stood with a book in hand, smiling.

"What do you say we take that chance now?" he said, gleam in his eye.

She smiled, understanding perfectly what he meant. Though, with Alek she knew it wouldn't be just a _chance_. He was solid, safe, consistent; this would be a _life_. Life with him, of course, would be an adventure, but it was one she was more than happy to embark on. This would be the beginning their greatest adventure yet.

* * *

Alek held her hands tightly in his. There was a soft breeze coming off of the pond, bringing in that lovely smell. The late afternoon light illuminated everything in a lovely orange glow; it was perfect. No worries about who to invite, wedding dresses, cakes; or anything. Just Deryn, Alek, and the people that mattered most to them.

Lots of smiles (and maybe a few tears) were exchanged in addition to their vows. They were spoken close and in secret; uttered just loud enough just for them and the captain to hear. Alek, of course, was sweet and wonderful and may or may not have caused Deryn to cry more she would have liked; and she, as well, was surprised at the unusual dulcet manner all of the mellifluous promises and affirmations came from her mouth.

And they kissed. The long-awaited first kiss as husband and wife, and it was, as both participants would unanimously agree, barking perfect. It may have been (much) longer than tradition and possibly what was proper, but they didn't care.

They turned around as Captain Dakkar announced them as husband and wife, the small audience cheering and clapping. Deryn didn't hear them, though. She couldn't stop staring at him. Her barking_ husband_. He turned to her, grinning with equal joy, and pulled her in for another kiss, sound and sweet. She couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the makeshift aisle. She felt him smile against her lips as petals sprinkled in the air fell around them.

He set her down and she looked up at him for the hundredth time that hour, unable to wipe the giddy grin from her mouth. Which was perfectly all right, because Alek was doing just the same.

The attendees came and gathered around them, offering congratulations and hugs and the like. Through the distractions of Mr. Klopp in desperate need of a handkerchief (To his discredit; he had forgotten and he couldn't remember the last time he didn't weep at a wedding), and Doctor Barlow trying (but failing) to remain calm as Newkirk informed her that he broke something rather expensive inside, Deryn thought she heard something. She could have sworn she heard Da's bright, hearty laugh somewhere off in the distance. She didn't turn to look to see where it came from; she didn't need to. She knew he was there, in his own way watching over everything, and that made it all the better.

* * *

"What will you do now?" Newkirk asked later, after the sun had gone down and everyone was mingling together in the house.

Alek thought for a moment. They couldn't go back to Austria, not right now at least. Glasgow was always an option, but he had little to no money to speak of, and living with Deryn's family just wasn't plausible. "I'm not sure. I suppose we'll have to look for proper jobs-"

Doctor Barlow cleared her throat. "I think I may be of help in this area!" she said cheerfully. "Since the two of you left the Zoological Society, I never found anyone to quite qualified replace you," she gave Newkirk a look, "and I do have a mission in urgent need of you! Something with our very own Captain Dakkar; something to do with Japan if I remember correctly," she muttered as she dug through her bag. "Ah, yes! Here it is!" she proclaimed, pulling from her bag a folder with pages sticking out.

Bovril piped in with, "Adventure."

Alek turned towards Deryn. "What do you think? One more adventure?"

(Being perfectly honest, Alek didn't care if they went to Antarctica as long as he was with Deryn.)

"It should be hair-raising," he added, smiling.

She thought for a moment and looked at him. They hadn't talked about what they were going to do yet, but Deryn wasn't entirely sure she was ready to settle down, not just yet anyway.

"I've always wanted to go to back to Japan," she said with a mischievous grin, and snatched the papers from Doctor Barlow.

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-end-

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-for now-

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:)


	32. Bag of Tricks

**Thanks/Special Acknowledgement to:**

Scott Westerfeld, for writing the _Leviathan_ series in the first place. They are beautiful, I love everything about them. Finding a good book (for me, at least!) is like finding a hidden gem, and I thank you for making one so excellent!

JRR Tolkien, Diana Wynne Jones, CS Lewis: thank you for helping cultivate my imagination.

**If there weren't enough annoying/interesting facts in those lengthy author's notes, here are even more!**

In _a New Hope_ (Star Wars, which I do not own) when it shows the quick piece of planet Yavin, it was shot in Tikal!

Unfortunately, everything I wrote about King Leopold II was true. He was brutal to the people of the Congo. It is estimated that he killed _at least_ two million people during his reign. If the people didn't meet the unrealistic expectations of the forced labor at the end of the day, he'd have their hands or feet cut off (and still expected them to work).

Jules Verne's book, _the Mysterious Island_, is where the idea for Captain Dakkar came from. I was just going to use Captain Nemo, but that was too obvious. :) (Captain Nemo is actually Prince Dakkar) I sort of wanted him to be like Tesla, with all sorts of eccentricities, but we'll get to see more of those later. (Oooh! Sequel hints!)

The name _Gondolin_ is a Tolkien reference, as is Aurielo's estate. Deryn wakes up smelling the wonderful smells, which is what happens to Frodo in _the Return of the King_ (which I do not own) when he wakes up in Ithilien.

And I am stay tight-lipped on the monster business! We'll find out more about them later. :D

**More specifically:**

Barking Lizards, C/Cita, Jett/ Jett-Wolfe98, EllieStone, SecretKeeper1095, Stopthattimerave, Daft Prince, jibblitmuffins3675, .luv, Obsessed-With-Obsession555, TabbySparks, bookworm250250, Zmusic2014, Zaivex, WolfishMoon, hamaiasa, MiddyMiles, Knight Mistress, Sassysplash, Magical Marnie, Katniss is boss, Irish Nitpicker, and all of the Guests!

Each of you is SO wonderful! THANK YOU so, so much for taking the time to read this and review!

estefania: Thanks for being my first reviewer. :) Without you, this might have never been finished!

And to anyone I missed, I apologize!

If anyone has any questions at all, please feel free to ask! I'm very tired at the moment, so I'll update this with any other facts I think of!

Oh! A few people have been wondering about a sequel!

Yes, I absolutely have been thinking of an idea for a continuation, about Volger and his situation, but definitely lots of Dalek. :D I have a few good plotlines, I just need a title to get me started! So if anyone has any ideas they are willing to share, please don't hesitate to let me know. :D

If you read this all the way through, you deserve a cookie. THANK YOU, EVERYONE! Really, I know I go on and on about this all the time, but your reviews and thoughts me SO much to me. I truly cannot express my gratitude fully, so please believe me when I say it means a whole lot.

Thank you for bearing with me through embarrassing typos, lame chapters and the like.

You are all awesome! :)

A few people asked me while I was writing this how I write.

Well, it doesn't come naturally, I can tell you.

I remember the very first story I wrote. It was in fifth grade, my very first year in 'real school' (I was homeschooled up until then!). I was dorky and excited and didn't know anyone.

Our teacher told us to write a creative story, if I remember correctly. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember writing about a little girl who became injured and was rescued by a horse. They rode 'as fast as the wind' and it ended happily ever after. I read it in front of my whole class and felt rather accomplished.

Well, apparently it wasn't stylish to say silly things like 'as fast as the wind' because my entire class made fun of me for that for the rest of the year. I was mortified (I was a sensitive child) and cried when I got home.

And for the longest time, that was it. I kept my papers as blasé as possible, per the paper status quo of the cool kids in my class. I carried on like that for quite a while.

I had a phenomenal English teacher in seventh grade, who was the most feared and respected teacher in the school. She was SO BRUTAL with her teaching; she pounded prepositions and sentence diagrams into our minds like there was no tomorrow. She didn't care if you cried from exhaustion or if you disliked her more than anything: you were going to do well in her class academically. She was (and still is!) one of the toughest people I've ever known.

Whenever we had papers to do (which was often), we would make an outline. Then she'd correct them and give them back and have us do a rough draft. Then we'd turn them in and get them back and repeat the process twice more until they were satisfactory. And they had to be _hand written_.

But that helped me so much. Personally, I tend to make fewer mistakes when I write something out by hand because I have to concentrate on actually making my hand write.

And we did do well in her class. I learned so much about grammar and how to appreciate literature; I will be forever thankful that she taught me the way she did.

And so my papers became more creative and less blasé, and gradually my imagination became quite cultivated and I actually started writing a novel for fun (I still have it! Someday I will go through and read it just for laughs), which was terrible and angsty and about my teenage life, but I really had fun doing it.

I then took a break for a few years, still jotting down ideas in my Good Idea notebook (which I still have and fervently write in), and this year I read the Leviathan series. It was wonderful and I became quite infatuated with it, and quite dissatisfied that there were only three books! So I came to fanfiction and wrote my first story, the Parting Glass, after listening to the Waking Ned Divine soundtrack (which I do not own). It was a song from there that sparked the idea for that story in the first place! And I thought it was terrible and cheesy, but I had to post it to say that I did it. And then I got five very nice reviews from five very encouraging people (Daft Prince, EllieStone, C, WordNerb93, and Winterowl 312: thank you forever!) and it just took over from there.

Music is a big source of inspiration for me, as well as any other facts about interesting cultures. And other things I've read!

For example, various fairy tales and myths from Mayan culture were a HUGE part of Tikal. There are a handful of references to my favorite books scattered throughout (if you can find them all like Daft Prince basically did, I will give you a cookie!) the story, which makes it fun for me!

So I guess my advice to anyone wanting to get into writing that doesn't feel confident is to just go for it! You're probably a lot better than you think! :)

And now I thank all of you for reviewing these last chapters, and for your ideas! Zmusic2014, I haven't forgotten your excellent ideas! :D And Sassysplash, your barking iPod spazzed out again so I can't see what you're were going to say! And it looked good! Aaaaaghh.

:)


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